Kings and Lords
by WhoMe-2
Summary: Rose Tyler never imagined she would one day marry a King, especially when she knew her heart belonged to a Lord. Will the possibility of a forced marriage to another force the boundaries of the Doctor and Rose's relationship to be crossed once and for all, or will it drive them apart? **1st in the Kings and Lords series**
1. Chapter 1

***Note* **Rated M for chapters 25 & 30 , but what is posted here are the edited versions and are not explicit.

**Disclaimer:** Doctor Who and its characters belong to the BBC, and sadly not to me.

**A/N** I've _finally_ gotten the draft for this story wrestled from my brain. This one is a new adventure and not a part of any of my previous series.

This story was inspired by a quote from Russell T Davies. In speaking of the Doctor and Rose's devotion to each other, he once said that Rose never would have just left him to "Marry the King of the Zobulans," and the idea has long since tickled my muse, thinking of all the "what ifs" had the situation actually arose. The idea has since become this rather involved plot, because nothing is ever simple for these two, is it?

I have to give major kudos to the _TARDIS Technical Index _on the _Whoniverse_ website, whose wealth of info on the mechanics of a TARDIS made writing certain parts of this SO much easier.

I hope you enjoy this one!

And if you're reading, I love hearing from you to let me know you're there! That's what keeps me typing.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 1<span>**

Thick smoke engulfed the console room as sparks rained down and flames erupted around its two occupants. The jarring flight that had begun as something Rose first thought was nothing more than a typical glitch for the sometimes faulty time machine had escalated to critical in a matter of minutes. The Doctor and Rose had no time to even prepare for the imminent crash, and they certainly did not stand prepared for how their lives would soon be affected by this consequential turn of events.

Looking back, the trouble seemed to begin a few days prior. The TARDIS had been, as the Doctor termed it, 'acting up' for the past few days. Maybe it was simply old age, Rose had thought, though she didn't voice that notion. It would have no doubt offended the Doctor_...and_ his sentient ship. But she knew the time-ship itself was ancient. She didn't know if other TARDISes had required near-constant maintenance, but the Doctor's ship seemed to need endless tinkering, recalibrations and repairs. And making those repairs was not always easy. Being the last TARDIS in existence meant that attaining needed parts was often a challenging task. Whenever something needed replacing, the Doctor would have to make do with parts cobbled together from scrap yards and such located on various planets throughout the galaxies.

One such trip to Verexis Prime a few days before had been a disappointment for the Doctor when he simply couldn't find exactly what had been needed. Yet he had somehow managed to make do with what he had been able to attain, along with parts gathered here and there from other places. Though the Doctor had not voiced his feelings, Rose knew the emotions he felt went beyond simple frustration. These were times which only served as a further reminder to him that his own planet and its needed resources were gone. As if he ever needed the reminder.

Ever since the Doctor's attempts to make repairs with the less than ideal parts he had been able to gather a few days before hand, the TARDIS had only seemed to get worse and was operating with more and more of a strain. Unexpectedly, today was when the situation took a sudden critical turn.

The Doctor had been trying to repair the Temporal Retractors, which suddenly began losing containment as the Zybanium shields began showing signs of weakening. If the shields failed, the Chronoplasmic Energy within would escape and severely damage all other systems; which was exactly what began to happen, despite the Doctor's frenzied efforts to prevent it. A destructive cascade effect began, and there was little the Doctor could do.

The TARDIS shook violently, debris falling in torrents around the console room as showers of sparks enveloped them.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted from across the smoldering console as Rose gripped the other side, fighting to remain upright, "Stand back from the console and grab hold of the strut behind you! We've lost the Temporal Retractors and we're falling out of the Vortex. I'm doing all I can to get us somewhere with an inhabitable atmosphere, but we're going to crash, and you need to be ready! I'm sorry! There's nothing I can do!"

For a fraction of a second, his terror-filled eyes locked onto hers, equally panicked. There was nothing he could do to protect her.

The Doctor never feared danger coming to Rose from inside the TARDIS. This was supposed to be their safe haven, even if the universe crumbled around them. Now their universe was crumbling from within.

"It's not your fault!" Rose yelled back to him over the clatter. Whatever happened in the next few critical seconds, she didn't want him to carry the guilt for it. "We just have to hold on...we'll be alright!"

They had barely finished getting the words out when the TARDIS pitched sharply again, hurling them both to the grated floor. Rose scrambled back to her feet, gripping the strut behind her just as the Doctor was pulling himself back up to the console. More sparks, followed by a burst of flames shot from the controls, rupturing the main fluid links as searing liquid and vapor suddenly erupted in the Doctor's face.

"Doctor!" Rose screamed as he staggered back, both hands flying up to cover his face, but it was too late. Debris continued to fall, and just at that moment a large chunk of the coral structure broke loose and came tumbling down directly over Rose. Even dazed and injured, the Doctor's senses were acute, and he was somehow able to react in an instant. He launched himself towards Rose, knocking her down beneath him. He covered her body with his own as the crumbling structure fell upon and around them.

The chaos ended with a violent crash, then silence descended, replacing the mayhem with an eerie calm. The only sound to be heard for several heartbeats was the crackling of fire as the TARDIS continued to smolder.

A few seconds later the Cloister Bell began to toll its foreboding clang, and the doors opened to signal their need for immediate exit. Emergency power lit a path to the ramp, barely cutting through the haze of thick smoke engulfing the room.

From beneath the prone, unmoving form of the Doctor, Rose struggled out from under, shifting his weight to the side. She coughed and choked on the black smoke burning her lungs as threatening flames continued to spread.

"D-Doctor!" she rasped, pulling herself onto her knees beside his motionless body. "Doctor, we have to get out!"

The Doctor remained unconscious and unmoving. Rose's entire body was throbbing from the impact with the grating and the force of the crash, but at the moment her own condition was the last thing on her mind. They had to get out of the TARDIS, and the Doctor was incapable of moving on his own.

Rose crawled over him and bent forward. She turned him onto his back as carefully as possible and hooked her hands beneath his underarms as she grit her teeth and pulled. Rose began dragging him across the console room and down towards the doors. Sheer adrenaline fueled her strength as she struggled to get them both out of the burning ship. She stumbled once halfway down the ramp, but she picked herself and the Doctor back up and continued her strained effort.

Upon finally reaching the outside, the doors closed, and the TARDIS sealed herself shut. Coughing raggedly, Rose dropped down, and was left kneeling on the ground beside the Doctor. She blinked away the stinging tears in her raw eyes that had been assaulted from the smoke and focused on the face of the unresponsive Time Lord on the ground beside her. It was then, in the clear light, that Rose was able to see the extent of his injuries.

A gasp caught in her throat as she saw his face. He had been severely burned across his face and down his neck. A trail of blood also ran down the left side of his face from a deep gash in his head that he had sustained from falling debris. With fumbling fingers, Rose unzipped and peeled off her fuchsia jacket, stripping down to her T-shirt as she used the garment to press to his head in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Rose fought down a feeling of panic. She didn't know what else she could do, but she had to stay calm.

Her stomach twisted painfully at the sight of the raw flesh of his face. They needed help. With the TARDIS uninhabitable, and for all she knew maybe completely destroyed, her only hope was to seek help from wherever this place was they now found themselves.

Rose lifted her eyes from the Doctor and for the first time surveyed their surroundings as a temperate breeze caressed her upturned face. Under any other circumstances she would have been awed by the scene laid out before her. They sat in a field of lush grass, a deeper green than Rose had ever seen. A forest of golden-colored trees, like autumn in all its gilded splendor, lay several meters behind them. In front, against the backdrop of a deep turquoise sky, golden mountains capped the landscape, softened by a thin stroke of misty fog draping the air.

Rose dropped her eyes back down to the Doctor. She hoped he could at least sense her words, and she put effort into sounding composed. "Well, everything else aside, it looks like we've picked a lovely place for a crash landing. We just need to work a bit on our arrivals, yeah?" She spoke to him blithely, though her voice shook even as she tried to remain jovial with her injured Doctor. She eased the jacket back from his head and inspected the gash. The bleeding seemed to have slowed. She wanted to cup his cheek and stroke him comfortingly, but considering his singed flesh she settled for placing a hand on his chest as she spoke again with solemn conviction. "I'm gonna get help for us somehow, Doctor. You'll be alright. I promise."

Rose unbuttoned his rumpled, pinstriped jacket and fumbled through the deep inner pocket. Finding the object of her search, she pulled out the sonic screwdriver. Rose worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she wracked her brain, trying to remember if the Doctor had ever shown her a setting for injuries. He'd fixed up a few of her own scrapes and bruises often enough in the infirmary with the dermal regenerator, but she just couldn't recall such a setting on the sonic. She was certain there must be one, but she just didn't know what it was.

She lowered the sonic screwdriver with a frustrated groan and carefully returned it to his pocket.

Rose knew the Doctor had a better capacity for healing than most, and if his injuries were serious enough he could even regenerate. Not that she wanted to even let her mind go to the place of considering he was that bad off. But just because he might have a quicker ability to heal, that didn't make him invincible, as evidenced by his burned, bleeding, unconscious body lying before her in this picturesque field as the TARDIS smoldered behind them.

Rose looked up again, beginning to feel frantic about what to do as her eyes flitted to and fro. She couldn't just leave the Doctor here alone, but they desperately needed help. Rose didn't know if help was something that could even be found here, though. For all she knew, this place where they had crashed could be uninhabited; or worse yet, inhabited by a hostile race.

It wasn't going to take long to find out. As she knelt beside the Doctor, Rose began to feel the ground tremor slightly beneath her. It was barely detectable at first, then steadily grew stronger, accompanied by a rumbling sound, like approaching thunder. It steadily grew louder, and as Rose looked in the direction of the sound she saw what looked to be an advancing convoy on horseback. Cresting over the rise of the hill to her right, the cavalcade moved as one, galloping closer, about thirty in number, Rose assessed.

Apparently the TARDIS blazing through this planet's atmosphere had not gone unnoticed. She shifted closer to the Doctor and put both hands around his shoulders, instinctively gripping him in a protective manner, uncertain of the impending fate they were about to meet. Her stomach tightened as the mighty band grew nearer. Whether they were about to bring help or hostility, Rose knew there was little she could do either way.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N **Thank you so much for the lovely reviews so far! You make me want to update all the faster.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 2<span>**

Rose maintained her protective grip on the Doctor as she watched the convoy move closer to their position. The horses slowed to a regal trot, spaced six abreast and in perfect sync and lined precision. As they neared, Rose could see that the sleek black animals, though similar in size and movement to horses, had greater musculature and heads similar to that of a lion. The sight of them was both extremely intimidating and highly captivating. Their nostrils flared as they snorted, the mist lingering in the haze of the early dawn – or was it early dusk?

The Doctor would know, Rose thought briefly to herself. His innate sense of timing could tell her the precise hour of the day, down to the exact second. If he were conscious.

Rose's eyes quickly scanned over the formidable group, now just a few meters from her. The men wore what appeared to be a type of uniform of dark blue trousers and tunics, with black vests fastened with silver clasps and calf-length boots, and silver insignia etched across the left side of their chests in symbols Rose could not decipher.

They came to a stop before her. Rose's anxious gaze fixed on the man at the front and center of the convoy. He was the most imposing of them all, with a silver-colored sash across his chest, silver-plated insignia on his broad shoulders and a cape fastened about his neck. He dismounted, his midnight-blue cape billowing behind him as he approached.

Rose swallowed down hard and fought to find her voice as she looked up at him, hoping that at least the TARDIS translation circuits were still functioning. "I...I need help," she managed to state, shaking off her fear from not knowing whether these people were friend or foe. Getting help for the Doctor was her priority, and she would seek it from anyone she could. "Our ship crashed and he's hurt."

The dark-haired man who appeared to be around late twenties to early thirties was clearly someone in high-ranking authority, but beneath his dark, intense eyes there seemed to be a compassion that mitigated her fears. He crouched before her as his eyes quickly assessed the Doctor. He turned his head back to the four men who were approaching from behind. "Bring the cart," he instructed, then turned to address another who was still mounted. "Amron, ride ahead at once and alert my physician."

"Yes, Sire," the man who had ridden on his right acknowledged, before turning his steed and swiftly riding off back in the direction they had come.

The man who was crouched in front of Rose turned back to her, placing his hand on her arm. She noticed an interlocking spiral-shaped marking on the backs of his hands which at first glance looked like a tattoo, but on closer inspection appeared to be more like a type of birthmark. A glance at the other men approaching showed they all bore the same marking. "Have you been injured as well?" the man asked, his eyes scanning her face with concern.

Rose shook her head, fighting down the insistent cough rising up in her throat, still irritated and raspy from the smoke. "'M fine. Thank you. I just need help for him."

The man pulled a silver flask out from around his side and extended it to her. "Here. Drink some of this."

Rose took the flask in her soot-blackened hand and lifted it to her lips. She took several sips before handing it back. The cool water soothed her inflamed throat; but even as her throat was relieved, she felt guilty thinking how even such a simple thing could not be done for the Doctor.

The other men approached, and Rose was reluctant to release her protective hold on the Doctor, but she eased back and gave him over to the four men who carefully lifted him and placed him in an open cart pulled by a team of two of the horse-like animals. The streamlined coach was small, only sizable for one, which didn't allow Rose to ride with him.

The man she had spoken with, apparently one of nobility if the title of Sire was anything to go by, put a hand on her shoulder as she stood overlooking the Doctor. He spoke with both command and reassurance. "You will ride with me."

Rose simply nodded, casting one more glance at the Doctor to be sure he was secure before following with the man leading her. She slipped her arms back in her jacket she had used to press to the Doctor's head, now stained with blood. He mounted his charger, then extended his arm down and hoisted Rose up behind him. Rose held to his waist as he gave the forward command and the troop moved out in unison back in the direction they had come, leaving the battered TARDIS behind them.

Once out of the low-lying valley, Rose realized they had not been far from civilization. In the distance before them, a city rising out of the golden mountainscape began to come into view as they crested a steep hill. Rose's eyes were drawn to what appeared to be a castle sitting atop the highest point of the distant peak.

As they grew even nearer, the stone structures of the city became more distinct. A towering amphitheater stood at the town's center, but even this was eclipsed by the looming castle which stood as a focal point, encircled by a fortified wall of stone. Its shining spires arose from the massive gray stone turrets and reached towards the deep turquoise sky. Despite the grave circumstances currently faced with the condition of both the TARDIS and the Doctor, Rose couldn't help but be awed just a little by the majestic sight. It was almost like something out of a fairytale, yet the imposing structure also carried an intimidating aura.

The hooves of the powerful black steeds clacked in unison along the stone-paved streets as they entered the town. It was a bustling city of both homes and marketplaces, and most of the transport seemed to be by drawn carriage or simply on foot. The townspeople parted before them, lining the sides of the street and looking on attentively as the entourage passed by.

As Rose scanned the crowds she noticed there seemed to be two distinctive races of people. There were those like the men she rode with, whose skin tone varied from shades of light to dark, but all with dark hair and eyes and the same interlocking spiral markings on the backs of their hands. And then there were those with a pallid skin tone and hair so white it nearly gleamed, with bright, piercing blue eyes. They also did not seem to bear the same markings as the others on their hands. Rose was so often fascinated with the people and cultures of the worlds they visited, but right now she took it all in with only half attention as her anxious thoughts were still focused on the Doctor.

They soon approached the main outer gate of the castle, and the portcullis rose to allow entrance as the regal line of mounted men entered the castle grounds. Rose's focus remained solely on the Doctor as she dismounted, not bothering to wait for assistance as she swung her leg over and jumped to the ground. She hurried back over to where he lay, still unconscious.

A middle-aged man came forward who had apparently been awaiting their arrival. Though his hair was mostly gray, it was not the stark white of some of the people they had passed in the town, and he appeared to be of the same ethnicity as the others she had first met.

The man Rose had ridden with came up beside her at the cart and addressed the other gentleman. "This man is injured. Take him within and begin tending him right away."

The man nodded. "Of course, Sire." He moved forward and gave the Doctor a quick assessing look before stepping aside. "Carry him to the medical chamber," he instructed to two men on his right.

Rose began to immediately follow, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She turned. The man she had ridden with gave her a small but reassuring smile. "He is being cared for by my personal physician. I know you are highly concerned, but I assure you he is in good hands."

Rose stayed just long enough to at least offer her thanks. "Thank you. I...I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't come along."

"It was as it was meant to be," he replied cryptically, his eyes searching hers as if she were a grand mystery. "We will speak again later, but first I know you are anxious to accompany him."

Rose was too distracted by her worry over the Doctor to pause long enough to give his words or demeanor too much thought. She just nodded and began quickly walking in the direction the Doctor had been taken, but turned her head back as she continued away. "I don't even know your name," she called back.

"Zerin," he answered. "King of Zobulan."

_Blimey. _Should she bow or curtsy? Under any other circumstances maybe. But Rose just stumbled a bit in her stride at the revelation, then turned, swiftly continuing on after the Doctor.

She caught up and followed behind the men carrying him into the castle. They came into a grand entrance hall with surrounding open archways leading off into several large chambers and assembly rooms, but they veered left and ascended a spiral stone staircase, then proceeded down a stone-walled arched corridor, and finally into a chamber on the left.

The room was clearly for medical purposes, with its various instruments and a gurney draped in a white sheet in the center of the room. Rows of shelves lined the wall on the far right, filled with apothecary jars of various shapes, sizes, and substances.

The Doctor was carefully placed down on the bed, and the two men who had carried him left as Rose hurried to his side.

"You have my assurance that he will be well cared for," the physician spoke to her reassuringly as he quickly cleansed his hands with a clear disinfecting substance poured from a bottle he had retrieved from one of the shelves. "I am all-too accustomed to treating serious injuries. Believe me, I have seen far, far worse. Now, please wait outside. I will summon you when I'm through."

Rose wasn't about to leave him. "No," she stated firmly. "I'm gonna stay with him. I can help." Then a little softer, "Please."

He considered her for a moment, then finally nodded in consent, passing her the disinfectant. "Very well. Purify your hands, and then bring over the wash basin and cloths. We must begin cleansing his wounds."

Rose poured a generous amount of the disinfectant into her hands, rubbing briskly, then moved to the long, rectangular stone table on the left side of the room and picked up the steel bowl and stack of folded cloths. She walked back over and placed them down on the bed beside the Doctor as the physician went about stripping off the Doctor's suit jacket.

He indicated across the room. "Now bring the amber colored bottle in the center on the third shelf."

Rose walked over to the shelf lining the right wall, deliberating for a moment before selecting what appeared to be the one. "This?"

He looked up. "Yes. Now pour it into the bowl. It will cleanse and soothe his burns, and speed the healing."

Rose moved back over to the bowl and did as instructed. She looked up as the physician removed the Doctor's jacket, then began stripping him of his light blue button-up shirt, soiled with ash, being careful of the burned skin of the Doctor's neck as he then removed his tie. The Doctor was soon bare from the waist up. Rose stood still and stared at the pale skin of his chest, seeming so fragile in his current state. She had rarely even seen him without his jacket before. Seeing him like this with his protective layers removed, stripped down to nothing but flesh and lacking his pinstriped armor, made him seem almost as weakened and vulnerable as his injured condition.

Rose forced herself to focus on doing what she could to help and moved closer to the Doctor's side. She dipped one of the cloths in the amber liquid she had poured into the bowl and lifted it to the Doctor's face. She dabbed at his raw skin, wincing inwardly as she made contact. The physician continued removing the Doctor's soiled clothing. His trainers and trousers were discarded, and he was stripped down to just his pants now.

The physician carefully examined the Doctor's limbs and abdomen, and Rose was relieved when it became clear his face and head were the only major sources of injury and there didn't appear to be more that had gone unseen.

Rose continued swabbing his burns as the physician attended to the gash on the left side of his head. He applied a sticky black paste to the wound, explaining that it would not only stop the bleeding but speed the healing.

Rose was fighting to keep her emotions tamped down in this because she knew if she allowed herself to break down it would accomplish nothing right now, but it was so hard to see the Doctor like this without feeling her heart twist painfully. She had never seen him in such a state – damaged and defenseless. The physician noticed the anxiety etched across her face and attempted to draw her mind out of its turmoil as they continued working.

"I'm sorry there wasn't time for formal introductions earlier, but my name is Tyrus. And yours?"

Rose looked up at the older man, his expression warm. "I'm Rose," she answered. "And he's...well...he's the Doctor."

"A physician as well," he noted. "And are the two of you...?"

"We're friends," Rose supplied. "We travel together. We're not...from here."

He smiled slightly, his eyes studying her briefly. "Yes, I'd gathered that. It's not often we get distant visitors."

"We didn't exactly intend to visit," Rose answered grimly. "We crashed. That's how he was hurt. He was...he was protecting me, and he put himself in even more danger because of it." The emotion of guilt manifested itself in her tone as a lump formed in her throat. "We shouldn't even be here," she murmured, wishing more than anything that they could simply return to their life in the TARDIS before any of this had happened.

"And yet I believe things often happen for a reason. Perhaps you are exactly where you were supposed to be," he suggested with optimism, yet his words were not merely shallow encouragement. His thoughts were on a possibility that many here were already contemplating.

Rose considered his words. "Well if we _are_ supposed to be here, then we definitely need to work on how we make our entrance," she replied with a fragile smile. A smile he returned, glad to see the lighter expression on her face, albeit tenuous.

Rose focused her attention back to the Doctor and marveled at seeing how the burns on his face and neck were already looking less raw. Whatever was in the medicinal solution was obviously helping. Rose wondered if his own quickened ability to heal was taking affect already as well. This bolstered her hope that he would regain consciousness soon and make a full recovery from this. The recovery of the TARDIS, however, was a whole other matter that she couldn't even allow herself to dwell on just yet. Helping the Doctor recover as soon as possible took priority in her thoughts at the moment.

After tending his burns and head wound, there was one last injury to address. Rose hadn't even wanted to think of this. With the burns to his face, his eyes could have likely been injured as well. With a magnifying instrument in hand, the physician carefully lifted the lid of the Doctor's left eye, then the right. Closely observing, Rose drew a sharp breath at seeing what was revealed. The whites of his eyes were blood-red and his irises clouded. The physician quickly moved over to the medicinal shelf, returning with a small glass bottle and dropper.

"Hold each eye open as I apply this," he instructed.

Rose swallowed down forcefully as she followed his instructions, her stomach clenching as she looked at the Doctor's severely injured eyes. Several drops of thick, opaque ointment were applied to each one. He then began wrapping a strip of white bandaging several layers thick over the Doctor's eyes and securing it at the back of his head to protect them from light.

"He'll be alright," Rose said, not taking her eyes off the Doctor's face and stating it as more of a declaration to herself. She then looked up at Tyrus. "He has this...ability to heal better than most. So he can recover from this. I know he can. He _will_ be able to see again, won't he?"

The physician answered truthfully. "Perhaps. If the damage has not been too extensive then yes, he can heal. But I'm afraid only time will tell for certain."

Rose looked back down at her broken Doctor, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Here he was, the Lord of Time, now powerless and at Time's mercy.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N** A few more characters are introduced and a little more is learned about the people of Zobulan. And if you're starting to miss our lively Doctor, I promise he's not going to be out of commission much longer.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 3<span>**

For the time being, everything that could be done for the Doctor had been done. As Tyrus had said, the Doctor's recovery was now a matter of time. The middle-aged physician turned from the gurney and moved to the doorway, summoning the two men who had first helped carry the Doctor in.

Entering with the two men was an older, petite woman, her gray hair braided and worn in a twist atop her head. She wore an ivory-colored dress with a flowing skirt and a tan vest over the bodice that laced up the front. The woman's dark eyes were kind, yet she seemed to carry a subtle air of authority about her which went beyond that of a simple servant. Perhaps she was one in a higher position, having served for years, Rose supposed upon initial introductions.

The woman addressed Rose, her voice soft. "My name is Nahlia."

Rose managed a slight smile, though it didn't reflect in her eyes. "I'm Rose."

She placed a gentle hand on Rose's upper arm. "I'm sorry to hear of your ordeal in arriving. It must have been very frightening. Are you feeling alright?"

Rose's eyes drifted to the Doctor as she answered quietly. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Even still, I am sure you are no doubt exhausted after such a day. The King has had me prepare quarters for you both. It is his wish for you to be as comfortable as possible. Would you prefer separate chambers, or–"

"I'm _not_ leavin' him," Rose stated firmly, then softened her tone, not meaning to sound brusque; she was just so frazzled after all of this. "So thank you, but...no separate chambers. I need to stay with him."

Nahlia smiled in empathy. "Of course. Whatever you wish. If you will come with me, I'll show you the way."

Rose turned back to Tyrus before leaving. "Thank you...for helping him."

He nodded. "I will come and assess his condition again in the morning. But for now be sure that you get some rest as well," he advised, seeing her exhaustion.

The top edges of the small bed were lifted, creating a stretcher, and the Doctor was carried out behind Rose as she followed with Nahlia.

They had gone a little ways down the long corridor when a woman looking to be about the same age as Rose passed by from the other direction. Her appearance was striking. Unlike all the others Rose had met since being in the castle, this woman had the appearance of some of those she had seen in the town beyond the castle walls. Her porcelain skin was starkly pale, which seemed to make her sapphire-blue eyes an even more stunning distinction; and her long, flowing hair was so white it nearly shone. Her dress was a shade of dazzling blue that matched her eyes, the silken fabric cinched below her bust with a golden sash, with golden cording accenting the wide scoop neckline and ends of the long, bell sleeves. The gown then flowed behind her with a sweeping train about a foot in length.

The young woman paused for just a moment as their paths crossed, her eyes locking with Rose. The woman's studious gaze was slightly unnerving, and it didn't just seem to be one of curiosity, as were the glances Rose had received from some of the others. Rose felt as if she was being scrutinized inside and out. Rose smiled slightly at her and nodded.

"My Lady," Nahlia greeted the woman with respect.

The woman nodded back in acknowledgement of Nahlia, though her eyes were still on Rose. She then broke eye-contact abruptly and continued on again.

Rose shook off the incident as they again proceeded along the stone-walled corridor lit with opaque glass lamps that hung suspended from chains high above from the arched ceiling. They glowed rather than flickered, an indication that this place at least had technology beyond simple firelight.

The small group continued winding through several more halls before coming to a stop outside a heavy wooden door. Nahlia opened the door to the chamber and beckoned them in. Rose stood aside to allow the two men carrying the Doctor to pass through. They placed the cot on the bed which stood on the left side of the room and lifted him off, easing him down on his back.

Rose moved to his side and lifted the folded maroon blanket at the foot of the bed, draping it over the Doctor, still clothed in only his pants.

"I will have his clothes cleaned and returned, and I will also have some fresh garments brought for you. And some food as well," Nahlia said as she moved towards Rose, helping to cover the Doctor.

Rose glanced up. "Thank you."

"Would you like me to draw you a bath?"

Rose gave a quick glance down at herself. Her clothes were streaked with soot and smelled heavily of smoke, her jacket still stained with the Doctor's blood from his head wound; yet she really couldn't care less about things like appearance right now. "Not right now, but thank you. I just want to stay by him."

She nodded and offered Rose a reassuring smile. "Now that he has received care for his injuries, his recovery should just be a matter of rest." Nahlia moved towards the door. "If there is nothing else I can do for the time being then I'll leave you now, but I will return shortly with the food and clothing," she said.

Rose thanked her again, and Nahlia stepped out, softly closing the door behind her.

Rose turned her eyes from the door and briefly glanced around the room for the first time. Night had now fallen, and torches which were fastened to the walls softly illuminated the room, but not by flame; they held some type of glowing spheres on the end of the brass-like stems. The walls and floor of the room were of a smooth gray stone. The bed was large, with an unadorned but tall, dark wooden headboard. The white linens were a contrast to the deep maroon coverlet.

A large fireplace was on the wall directly across from the bed, the fire within casting flickering shadows across the softly-lit room. To the right was a tall wooden wardrobe and beside it a dressing table and round mirror. To the left of the fireplace was an archway leading through to the bathing chamber.

Three tall, arched windows were to the left of the bed, overlooking the east courtyard, now blanketed in darkness; and a long, dark wooden table sat centered beneath the middle window.

After briefly taking it all in, Rose turned her eyes back to the Doctor. She moved to the bed and eased herself down to sit beside him as she studied his face. To her relief, the burns had already seemed to heal significantly from how severe they had initially seemed. She wondered if the improvement was due to the medicinal balm applied or his enhanced ability to heal. Probably both. The skin was still pink and tender, though. Rose's heart clenched once again with a feeling of guilt as she gazed down at him. He had put himself even further in harm's way in order to protect her. She loved and hated him for it.

The Doctor's breaths were shallow but steady. He looked so helpless and vulnerable now – something she was not used to seeing. Only once, right after his regeneration, had she seen him in a similar state. Rose optimistically told herself that maybe he was in a healing coma now to recover from this, and that's why he still had not regained consciousness.

As much as Rose desperately wished he would wake quickly, part of her thought that maybe it was best he hadn't. Right now he needed rest in order to recover, and the minute he woke he would be hit with the distress of all they were now facing. At least right now he was shielded from that, if only temporarily.

The possibility that the Doctor might have lost his sight from this wasn't something Rose even wanted to allow herself to dwell on, yet her mind insisted on taking her there. Even if his loss of vision wasn't long-term, how would he cope in the meantime? _He _was the one who made people better. The Doctor was not a man who depended on others to take care of his own needs. How would he react to a state of dependence, even if it was only temporary?

Then there was the condition of the TARDIS filling her troubled thoughts. How long would they be confined to this world? What if the TARDIS was beyond repair? The Doctor had already lost far too much in life. Rose didn't know what would be worse for him now – the loss of his sight or the loss of his ship. Facing _both_ might prove to be too much.

But if her experience of the past two years with the Doctor had taught her just one thing, it was the knowledge that they _would_ get through this. Rose had to firmly remind herself of that. They always did, no matter what came their way. Despite the loss they might be facing, they still had each other, and they would make it through this.

Rose reached out and placed her hand on the center of the Doctor's blanketed chest, feeling the reassurance of the double rhythm beneath her palm. She eased herself down to lay beside him, her eyes falling shut in the dim room as she allowed herself the first moment's rest since this had begun. "We'll be alright," she whispered to his unresponsive form beside her. "We'll always be okay, you an' me."

-:-:-:-

Rose had not even been aware that she had fallen asleep until she woke to the sound of a knock at the door to the chamber. She quickly sat up, rubbing her eyes with the heel of her hands, and then glanced over at the still-unmoving Doctor. She scooted off the bed and went to open the door.

Standing there was Nahlia with a tray of food and the Doctor's suit draped over her arm, along with the same woman Rose had passed earlier in the corridor, who also carried in her arms several items of clothing.

"Um, come in," Rose said, stepping aside from the doorway and raking a hand through her tangled blonde hair as she fought off the lingering haze of sleep. She must be a complete mess by now, Rose briefly thought.

After greeting her, Nahlia moved past and straight back through the room, sitting the tray of food down on the table beneath the center window as the other woman entered behind her.

The young woman turned to Rose, carrying what looked to be several dresses folded over her arm. "I brought you these myself because I wanted to meet you properly. I must say, your arrival created quite a stir, blazing through the sky in such a way. I should think that half the realm had seen it," she remarked, a trace of awe in her tone.

Rose grimaced. "We don't usually...arrive like that."

"Perhaps only here," the woman murmured, her gaze distant. She then refocused and introduced herself. "My name is Shadarra."

Smiling politely, Rose introduced herself and the Doctor in kind. "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler. And...the man I'm traveling with is the Doctor." Rose turned and glanced back over at him where Nahlia now stood, re-arranging the covers around him.

"I am very sorry for your accident," Shadarra offered sincerely. "And how is he faring?"

"His burns seem better," Rose replied, trying to sound optimistic. "He hasn't woken up yet, but maybe it's best for him just to sleep right now."

Shadarra nodded, then lifted the dresses draped across her arm. "I wanted to bring you these because you will need to be properly attired, especially if...you are to be residing here for the time being."

Rose glanced down at her soiled jeans and fuchsia jacket, which would have been starkly out of place in comparison to the other woman's clothing regardless of cleanliness. Though Shadarra made mention of Rose needing to be properly attired, she didn't seem to be looking down on her due to Rose's current state of appearance, but Shadarra's eyes did glance away as she spoke of Rose staying here. The woman seemed kind enough, but unlike the warm welcome she had received from the others, Rose was now sensing an undertone of tension in the air, and she couldn't help but feel almost as if she'd done something wrong just by being here.

"Thank you for taking the time to bring these for me," Rose replied graciously, hoping to remain amiable. Nahlia came over and took the clothing from Shadarra. She then hung the items in the wardrobe where she had placed the Doctor's now-clean suit.

The older woman then came back over to join the two. "Is there anything else you are in need of for now?"

"No. No, thank you very much. You've all been so kind. To have even been taken in by the King is just...well, I'm very grateful to you all. And when the Doctor wakes up, I know he will be, too."

Shadarra smiled slightly in response, her eyes softening. "King Zerin is known for his kindness, as I am an example." She drew in a breath and went on to elaborate. "My uncle, Kezra, was Zobulan's previous King. My parents died when I was very young, surprisingly not from war, but from illness – the same illness that claimed my uncle's wife – and he took me in and raised me in the palace as his own, as my uncle had no other children. Then upon his recent death in old age and the current King's ascent to the throne, King Zerin has allowed me to remain here with all of the respect and privileges I had previously known, despite the fact that I am of the Jezrian descent and not Krendorian, the two races making up the population of Zobulan," she explained. "I now serve in a representative capacity, acting as a voice for the concerns of my people before a Ruling Council that now consists primarily of Krendorians. Such favor is usually unheard of when a King of an opposing race takes the throne."

"He sounds like a good man," Rose remarked, gaining a little more insight into the two peoples of Zobulan.

"He has found favor in the eyes of all," she agreed. "King Zerin has succeeded in bringing a level of peace to the realm that even my uncle's reign failed to achieve, despite his efforts to end the bloodshed on Zobulan." She paused, her eyes and her voice lowering slightly. "And now, perhaps it is a peace that from here will endure, and for the first time remain throughout future generations." She then looked briefly over at Nahlia, then back to Rose. "I have spoken enough, and I know you must be very tired after a day such as this. We will leave you for the night to rest."

Rose offered her thanks once again to them both. Shadarra nodded her head once then turned with Nahlia and left the room.

Rose looked back at the Doctor, his condition unchanged, then glanced over at the tray of food that had been left. Eating was the last thing that had been on her mind in the midst of all of this, but now seeing the food made her realize just how hungry she actually was.

Rose went over to the table beneath the window and was just about to select a piece of fruit from the tray when another knock sounded at the door.

Rose turned and went back to the door. She opened it to reveal King Zerin standing on the other side. She remembered now that he had said he would come speak to her again later, but she was still a little taken aback to be receiving a personal visit from the King, even if he was lacking the pomp and circumstance of a stately entourage.

For a moment, his eyes studied her with a look of such intense interest that it both piqued her curiosity and simultaneously unnerved her. Despite his benevolent reputation, Rose found herself wondering if there was a reason extending beyond simple kindness that she and the Doctor had been welcomed into the King's midst.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N **Rose has a brief chat with the King, and the Doctor finally shows a sign of responsiveness as their tumultuous day comes to a close.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 4<span>**

Standing inside the open doorway, Rose realized after a few seconds that she was just staring and had yet to address King Zerin as he stood on the other side of the door. "Um...Your Majesty," she finally greeted, her words spoken hastily in an attempt to make up for the unintentional pause.

His studious gaze relaxed fractionally as he smiled. "May I come in?"

"Oh, of course! Sorry. Um...please, come in." She cleared her throat and stepped aside as he moved into the room.

"Are you comfortable here?" he asked, glancing about.

Rose closed the door and walked towards him. "Yes, thank you. I really can't thank you enough for giving us help and taking us in like this."

He looked over at the Doctor on the bed, who was still unresponsive. Zerin nodded in his direction. "And how is he now?"

Rose put on a brave face, despite the fact that every time someone asked how the Doctor was doing everything inside her was screaming that he wasn't even close to being alright. Not like this. "His burns have gotten a little better already, and I'm sure his eyes will in time, too. He just needs a little more time to recover."

King Zerin turned and faced her. "Is he your husband?" he asked directly, waiting intently for her reply.

Rose was a little caught off guard by the question. It wasn't the first time someone had made the assumption about the two of them at least being a couple, but it was the gravity with which the question was spoken that took her a little aback. "Um, no. No, he's not...my husband."

His expression shifted. Rose tried to read just what exactly was behind the look – she had become somewhat experienced by now in reading looks that masked unspoken emotions in her time with the Doctor – but she couldn't quite put her finger on this one. Then again, that was often the case with the Doctor, too, Rose thought wryly.

"I see," he replied, his tone measured; but he pressed further rather than letting it drop. "Your lover, then?"

Rose flushed slightly at the candid assumption and shook her head. "We're not...like that. Just friends. Best friends. We travel together...everywhere. All sorts of places."

Maybe she should think such personal questions were out of line, but he _was_ the King, after all, and the one providing them with needed shelter and care. So the least Rose figured she could do was answer his questions about who she and the Doctor were, even if his questions did seem a little forward. Maybe that was just the manner of this culture.

He tilted his head and studied her curiously. "You are indeed a mystery. A traveler from another world, falling to this realm like a blazing star."

"You make a crash-landing sound a lot more glamorous than it is," Rose said with a short, humorless laugh. "So...do you get many travelers from other worlds, then?"

"Very few. And the last account of such a visit was before my time. But never has there been a woman as yourself arriving in a time such as this." There was a sudden intensity to his words, and Rose wondered just what he meant by that. He then startled her slightly by reaching out and taking her hand. He held her palm in his and traced his fingers across the top of her hand as he studied it. "You do not look Jezrian, yet you do not bear the mark of the Krendorian," he murmured, before gently releasing her hand and lifting his eyes back to hers. "What is your name?"

She cleared her throat. "Rose. Rose Tyler."

His expression was wistful. "Like the rare blooms found only on the highest mountains of Sheelon."

Rose supposed the TARDIS translation circuits got it close enough. It seemed to be a flower, at least. "Well, I don't know about _rare_, but...I s'pose my mum and dad liked the name well enough, anyway."

"I would like to know much more about you, Rose Tyler. There is much for both of us to learn." He turned and gazed out through the window up at the twin crescent moons rising, the black sky now dotted with dazzling pinpricks of light as the stars shone brightly. From the moment these two travelers had arrived in this world, Zerin's mind had been filled with questioning. Questions about his destiny he did not yet have answers for. Questions for this woman his heart was not yet ready to ask.

He closed his eyes and spoke quietly. "Not at this hour, though. There will be time for us to learn more later on." He turned back to Rose. "Right now you need rest, and you and your friend must both recover from your ordeal. You will both remain here as my guests, and the services of the castle are yours."

"Thank you again," Rose said, trying to adequately express her gratitude. "For everything. You've done so much already."

He smiled briefly. "As I said earlier, perhaps it is possible that our paths were meant to cross."

Rose wrinkled her forehead deeply and shook her head, perplexed. "I–"

He lifted his hand to quiet her question. "All in time. For now, just know that whatever you may need is yours."

With a short nod, he then turned from her and left the chamber.

Rose turned back and looked over at the Doctor. She walked over to the bed and perched beside him on the edge. "Well, it seems we made quite an entrance, you an' me."

Zerin seemed a little bit mysterious to her, like maybe he was holding back from saying something more. But she also got the impression that the people around here were a little taken by her and the Doctor's arrival. These people were no doubt highly intrigued by them, if nothing else, she reasoned.

Rose would undoubtedly be giving the King's words a little deeper thought if her mind wasn't already singly focused on her concern for the Doctor. It really didn't matter to her if these people saw them as fascinating. She was just glad the two of them had been given a place to stay and the Doctor had received help. Rose just wished there was something more that she could do to help him. She hated this feeling of helplessness as he continued to remain unresponsive.

Rose reached forward and gingerly brushed some of the fringe off his forehead. Seeing the Doctor like this was just...wrong. It may have only been a few hours, but Rose desperately missed his energy and enthusiasm and the sound of his voice.

"I'm right here," she whispered to him, wondering if he even knew. "I'm right here with you. Just please come back to me." Rose's mind flashed back to an image of the Doctor lying unconscious in bed as she'd slipped the sonic screwdriver into his hand and whispered '_help me_.' And he had. But right now he was the one who needed help, and if all she could do was stay by his side then she would at least give him this if she could do nothing else.

There was no response and no change as her whispered words were met with silence. Rose sighed deeply and looked over towards the windows, then noticed the tray of food that had been brought in earlier by Nahlia. Rose had momentarily forgotten it. Her awareness of hunger had left her as she'd focused again on the Doctor, but seeing the food reminded Rose that she was still rather hungry, and she couldn't take care of the Doctor if she didn't take care of herself.

Rose stood and walked over to where it sat, picked up the tray and brought it back over to the bed. She sat back down beside the Doctor, placing the tray in front of her on the bed. There was some broiled fish, sliced fruit, a round loaf of fresh bread, and a pitcher of what looked to be water but had a slightly fruity aroma. Rose ate a little of the food, then lifted the silver pitcher and poured some of the drink into the matching silver goblet. She took another whiff, then a tentative sip. It was slightly sweet, but very refreshing.

She sat the tray aside after finishing what she wanted of the food, but kept the drink. Rose looked down at the Doctor. His lips, though healing from the burns, were dry, and she imagined his throat must be parched. Rose wanted to relieve any of his discomfort that she possibly could. She dipped her finger into the goblet and brought it to his mouth, then gently spread the soothing liquid over his parched lips.

It was then the Doctor finally stirred slightly, attempting to move his mouth. Rose's heart soared. Encouraged, Rose dipped her finger in the goblet again and repeated the motion. This time the tip of his tongue slipped past his lips, instinctively seeking the cool liquid. She wet all of her fingers and brought them to his tongue.

"Here," she half-whispered, her voice quivering with joy that he was finally showing a sign of responsiveness. "This is what you need. Something to drink, yeah?" His tongue met her fingers again, and he swallowed down the drops of liquid. "That's it," she encouraged.

The Doctor slowly opened and closed his mouth several times, a raspy sound forming in his throat. "Shhh, it's alright," she soothed.

He turned his head slightly in her direction. "R-Rose?"

Just hearing him speak again, even raspy and strained as his voice was, filled Rose with relief. "S'okay. We're okay, both of us. Don't try to talk just yet." Rose took the pitcher and poured more into the goblet. "Do you feel like you can drink a little something? Just nod if you do."

The Doctor slowly nodded his head.

Rose placed her hand behind his head and carefully helped him lift up. "Here," she encouraged, bringing the cup to his lips.

The Doctor took a sip, then another. He eased his head back down. The Doctor lifted his hand, and she thought his first instinct would be to feel for the bandage covering his eyes, but he didn't. Instead he pressed his palm to his temple in a sign of pain. "The...the TAR–"

"Shhh," Rose quieted him. He didn't need to remember the condition of the TARDIS just yet; though she suspected by his reaction upon waking that he knew the exact condition of the ship because he could _feel_ it. "It'll be alright," she tried her best to reassure him. "You just need to rest right now, okay?"

The Doctor didn't try to reply as he let his hand fall back to his side. He was still barely coherent, his injured body having all but shut down in order to heal, and the bit of consciousness he had now regained was consumed by one thing. The TARDIS' pain was clawing at his own mind and drowning out everything else around him. Once his mind was a little more focused he could tone-down the link, but right now it was overwhelming him and pulling him back under.

Rose stroked his hair soothingly. She was torn between wanting to jump and shout for joy that he'd finally regained consciousness while at the same time feeling the drag of sheer exhaustion pulling at her limbs. He still needed more rest, and for now, Rose just wanted to curl up beside the Doctor and imagine that everything would all be okay in the morning. Better, at least.

Rose began to move off the bed to turn out the lights, but the Doctor surprised her by suddenly reaching back out for her. "It's okay. 'M not going anywhere," she assured him as she took his seeking hand in hers. "I'm just gonna turn down the lamps and we'll both get some rest. Okay?"

The Doctor let his hand slip from hers. He wasn't able to focus on much at the moment, but he held to the thin thread of awareness that Rose was still here. She was safe and had survived the crash. That, at least, allowed him to give up the fight against his body's insistence for the restorative sleep that was reclaiming him.

Rose stood and walked over to one of the torches on the wall, not sure how to snuff out the light. She reached her hand towards the glowing sphere, and as it passed over, the light dimmed. She swept her hand over it experimentally again and this time it completely faded. Having figured out this much at least, she proceeded to the other lamps, running her hand over them and extinguishing their glow. She then walked back over to the bed.

Rose paused. Under different circumstances this had the potential to be an awkward situation for them. Any other times throughout their travels when they had been faced with single sleeping arrangements, the Doctor usually gave Rose the bed, stating his superior biology and less need for sleep. There was no denying his own need for sleep now, though; and Rose was frankly too exhausted to care about stretching the lines of those invisible boundaries between them – unspoken boundaries that already frustrated her at the best of times as it was. And from his gesture a minute ago, it seemed the Doctor was in no way against the idea of her staying close beside him right now, either.

His breathing had evened out again, and from what she could see of his face he at least appeared relaxed. He had succumbed to sleep again. Rose unzipped and removed her jacket, dropping it without care onto the floor. She pulled her arms out of her T-shirt long enough to remove her bra, then slipped the shirt back on, now comfortable enough for sleeping. She then shimmied out of her jeans.

She was too exhausted, dirty, and sore to bother putting on one of the elegant, floor-length nightgowns brought in for her among the other clothing. Down to simply her T-shirt and knickers, Rose pulled back the covers on the bed and eased herself in beside the Doctor, wincing as the bruises she'd sustained in the crash made their presence known.

Turning her head towards him, she could just make out the gentle rising and falling of his chest in the dim, moonlit-glow of the room. Turning fully on her side to face him, Rose reached for his right hand that rested on his abdomen atop the covers. She laced her fingers through his and felt his limp digits instinctively curl around hers.

Rose closed her eyes and tried to escape the events of the day, hoping the Doctor had managed to do the same. But the raw memories refused to grant them reprieve as images of smoke and fire consumed both their dreams.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N **The Doctor wakes fully and now has to come to terms with their current situation.

So sorry for the technical issues with this chapter not being accessible when first posted. Apparently FF has been having some issues, but tech support was very helpful in working to fix it. Thanks guys!

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 5<span>**

The dense fog of slumber slowly dissipated from Rose's mind like the clearing of mist as the first light of dawn washed into the room, bathing the chamber in a soft golden glow. For a brief few seconds she thought she was in her bed on the TARDIS, but then reality came crashing back, bringing the memories of the day before: the crash, the Doctor's injuries, and their current location in the castle where they had taken up temporary residence.

Blinking several times as she acclimated to a state of wakefulness, Rose then turned over on her left side towards the Doctor, who she was currently sharing a bed with. Considering that one undeniably pleasant detail, the thought briefly flitted through her mind that maybe not _everything_ about this situation was so bad, but then she scolded herself for letting her thoughts stray under such circumstances.

As she turned, her foot had inadvertently brushed the Doctor's in the process. He stirred slightly at the contact, making a snuffling noise but didn't seem to wake. Rose propped her head up on her hand and peered at his face. The burns to his skin that had begun healing quickly the night before seemed to have improved even more in the hours since she'd seen him last. Looking at his face now, just slightly pinker than usual, she wouldn't have even known he had been burned at all. She was realistic enough to know that the severe injury to his eyes might take a little longer to heal than his skin, but she could only hope they would be equally restored soon. If not, well, they would cross that hurdle when the time came. For now they had this day to get through.

The Doctor looked so peaceful in this moment of undisturbed rest, and a part of Rose wished he could stay this way. She knew the heaviness of their current situation would begin weighing on him the moment he woke. He not only had his injuries to contend with, but the condition of the TARDIS and the fact that it meant they were now stranded here, at least for the time being. Rose also knew he would undoubtedly find a way to blame himself for this situation, even though she didn't.

Observing him in this unguarded moment, Rose had the urge to reach up and brush the soft fringe of his dark brown hair from his forehead. It had flattened somewhat in the night and somehow it just seemed wrong – like its subdued appearance matched the Doctor's overall condition, and that just wasn't right. Not for him. Rose drew her right hand out from beneath the covers and lifted it to his face, tenderly stroking back his hair.

The Doctor breathed in deeply through his nose and turned his head slowly in her direction. She couldn't see beneath the bandage to judge by his eyes if he was awake, but she could sense he was.

"Hello," she whispered, her hushed tone seeming appropriate for this tentative moment when his feelings over all of this could swing in any direction.

"Rose?" he questioned, his voice croaky but stronger than the night before.

She reached for his right hand that lay at his side. Rose took it in hers and squeezed gently. "I'm right here."

The Doctor lifted his left hand and touched the bandage covering his eyes. He had known the moment the TARDIS' fluid links ruptured in his face it wasn't going to be good. The question now, along with a stream of others forming in his mind, was just how bad was it?

"It's just temporary," Rose immediately tried to assure him as his fingers probed the bandage. "The burns on your face and neck have mostly healed already, and I'm sure your eyes will be fine in no time, too. You were treated by a physician last night who said your eyes might fully recover with just a little time."

The Doctor didn't reply to that. He just remained still as he asked his next question, his voice gaining more strength. "Where are we? No. No, wait...what about the TARDIS?"

"It's not far from where we are right now, still sitting in the field where we...landed. But it..." Rose paused. There was no easy way to say it, and he wouldn't appreciate anything less than the truth. "It was burning."

"I'm aware of that," he snapped. The Doctor breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"I know. It's okay," she answered. Obviously he wasn't in the brightest of moods due to all this, but she granted him understanding. "Anyway, after we crashed, the fire only seemed to get worse. Nearly the whole console room was in flames. Then the Cloister Bell started sounding..."

"How did I get out?" he puzzled.

"The hard way. You might look slim, but you're a right load when you're dead weight," Rose replied, trying to put some lightness into her tone.

He sucked in a breath. "Rose, that must have taken minutes. Time was critical, and you could have been trapped!"

Rose sat up fully, looking down at him. "You honestly think I would have just _left_ you?" she retorted.

"But you could have been–"

"I could have been hurt. Yeah. Just like _you_ when you put yourself in harm's way to protect me." Her voice softened. "We look out for each other. 'S what we do, yeah?"

"Yeah," he finally relented with a weak sigh. "Are you sure you weren't hurt?"

"I'm fine," Rose assured him. "Thanks to you."

He grunted, replying in a self-deprecating tone. "Yeah, thanks to me."

Rose didn't indulge the self-condemnation he was slipping into and instead continued on. "So then, after we got out, the TARDIS sealed the doors shut behind us. It...it was still smoking when we left."

The Doctor nodded slightly, letting this settle in.

"Can you still feel her?" Rose asked softly.

"A bit," he replied after a pause. The searing pain he had felt from the TARDIS the night before was now reduced to a dull throb, but this didn't mean the ship was better. It was now weaker. "She's weak. And it's not going to be easy for her to repair herself. If we were on Earth right now it would be better. As it turns out, the Earth has just the right sort of energy. And if I could get the TARDIS to the Rift, the rich source of power would allow her to repair in no time. Wherever we are, this planet is just...wrong. Wrong energy, wrong–"

Rose cut him off, not wanting him to sink lower in gloom. "It could always be worse, though. A castle isn't exactly the worst place we've ever been forced to stay, and the people are a lot friendlier than some we've encountered."

That caught his attention. The Doctor turned his head towards her again. "Castle?"

Rose affected her most posh voice. "_We_ are in the royal palace of King Zerin of Zobulan...apparently. The King himself found us and took us in." She shook her head slightly in amazement. "Blimey! You should have seen the welcoming committee that came to greet us." Rose halted then, realizing what she had unwittingly said to a man currently without sight. "I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean..."

The Doctor sighed in irritation. "Rose, if you're going to be tripping over words around me then this is going to be a very exasperating recovery."

"Well, sorry," she huffed, his mood starting to feel abrasive when all she'd been trying to do was think of him. "Just tryin' to be sensitive. Maybe you should actually give it a try once in a while instead of being so..." Rose stopped herself, not meaning to snap at him. The very last thing she wanted was to be at odds with him right now, despite his mood.

But her reply seemed to actually lighten the tension as his lips quirked faintly upward. "I _am_ the rude one, though. Remember? That's the sort of a man I am."

"And not ginger," she mumbled with a half-smile.

"Not ginger," he agreed ruefully, then paused in thought. "Though with the flames, I suppose my hair came close to it yesterday, didn't it?"

Rose poked him in the shoulder, but couldn't stop the smirk. "Not funny."

She relaxed and eased back down on her side. Speaking of his hair, Rose absently noted that it had fallen flat again. She wanted to ruffle it back into proper disarray, and reached out without thinking, but then stopped herself mid-way and pulled her hand back. They had managed to be in the same bed together and so far avoid awkwardness. Add in the act of indulgently caressing his scalp while sharing a bed and that might change the circumstances a bit.

The Doctor blew out a long puff of air as one arm went behind his head. "So...Zobulan, you say?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "You know the planet?"

He shook his head. "Never been here."

She gaped at him. "Seriously? There are actually places left you haven't been?"

"Oh, of course there are," he chuckled, and it was the most gorgeous sound to her ears. "It's a big universe, Rose. Why do you think I keep traveling?"

Rose tried to sound enthusiastic in her response. "Well, this is like an adventure then, yeah? Somewhere we've never been."

"Yeah, one grand adventure," he agreed, though he didn't even try for the enthusiasm she had as he spoke the words flatly.

They were both quiet for a minute before the Doctor spoke again. "So...is it morning now?"

"Yeah," Rose verified. "Early though. First light, by the looks of it." Rose flinched. Already she was acting as his eyes. She didn't want to make him feel any more helpless, but some things couldn't be avoided.

The Doctor lay still, and though his face was partially obscured by the bandage, she could tell the gears in his head were turning at their typical frenetic pace, his acute senses kicking in.

He finally nodded. "Yes, early morning. Slept for...," he inhaled slowly and deeply, as if analyzing the very air itself to give him the precise answer, "6 hours and 22.7 minutes, relative Earth time...which you humans have me in the habit of using."

Rose couldn't help but smile back at him. This was a little more like her Doctor. "_We humans_ just have the most logical way for relating time. Admit it, Time Lord," she replied lightly.

He turned his head towards her, a slight smile on his lips, but Rose knew if she could see his eyes it wouldn't reach them, no matter how hard they were both trying to remain light. "Hmm. Well, you humans have a _few_ merits, I'll give you that."

"How gracious of you," she replied with a smirk.

They drifted into silence for a minute. Rose's gaze strayed toward the windows as she watched a few particles of dust dance through the sunbeams scattering light through the room in this quiet calm of early morning, the ambiance a placid contrast to the churning in both their minds. Rose turned her eyes back to him. "How are you feeling now?"

She could almost hear the '_I'm Always Alright' _response on his lips, always at the ready. So she was a little taken aback by his reply, predictably sarcastic as it may have been; but still, he didn't just skirt the issue. "Well now, let's see. At the moment I've lost my sight, my TARDIS, any means of getting you back home, and trapped us on a planet I don't even know. Aside from that I've never been better."

"You haven't lost _me_," Rose pointed out, then added a little more quietly, "And I _am_ home." Rose knew if his eyes were on her he'd be studying her intently...or quickly turning away. She cleared her throat. "I mean...for the past few years now, home for me has been wherever we are. Everywhere we go, no matter where or how far, as long as we're together I'm home."

Rose could see him swallow hard. That statement was seriously pushing their ever-present boundaries, but she really didn't care at the moment. Considering all of the uncertainty over their circumstances, she needed him to know this much at least. Rose continued on, because it was clear he didn't really have a response for that. "And besides, this is not _your_ fault. Things happen. Sometimes good things, and sometimes not so good. But you can't claim responsibility for them all. You're impressive, but you're not _that_ impressive."

"Oi!" he quipped, finding his voice again and grateful for the switch to a less loaded topic. "Not that impressive? _Lord of Time_, Rose."

She chuckled. "I _said_ you're impressive. Don't go lookin' for me to give your ego any more strokin' than that. You're impossible enough as it is."

He smirked slightly. And then, as would inevitably happen when you share a bed with someone, Rose's bare leg brushed against his, bringing awareness to the fact that her legs were indeed bare. Rose was suddenly hyper-aware of her T-shirt-and-knickers-only state of undress. And if either had momentarily forgotten, both were quickly reminded that they were sharing a bed together. Rose quickly pulled her leg back as the Doctor shifted and drew in a breath.

So much for the lack of awkwardness. Rose didn't want their current sleeping arrangements to make him feel uneasy, but then she kicked herself for directly bringing up the unspoken topic that had the potential to do just that. "I...I didn't want to just leave you alone last night, and I didn't want to put anyone out by taking up even more rooms, so I asked for just one room for the both of us. But this one only has the one bed, so..." Rose put the brakes on before she undoubtedly made things even more awkward.

He just nodded, seeming unfazed; but then, he _was_ the Doctor and she couldn't always read his feelings simply by his outward reaction. "Practical and conserves space. Can't argue with that. _Weeell_, just as long as you don't snore..."

"You _are_ the rude one, aren't you?" she replied in mock offense, relieved but maybe just a little disappointed that he was so unaffected and didn't seem to care about their sleeping arrangements either way.

"Mm, warned you that I was. But I suppose we won't be making much enjoyable use of this shared bed anyway though, will we?" he added. They both froze. He cleared his throat, the awkward pause showing he wasn't entirely unaffected by the subject matter after all. "That is to say...just as soon as the TARDIS is safe to enter there will be a lot of work to do. No time for dozing."

"No time for dozing," she agreed with a nod, affecting his same nonchalant tone.

They lapsed into silence after that, each contemplating their uncertain immediate future. With the mention of repairing the TARDIS, Rose couldn't stop herself from questioning whether there was any way at all for the Doctor to help the TARDIS repair itself until his eyes had fully recovered, but she wasn't going to voice that question and sound as if she had any doubts in him. Right now the Doctor had enough doubts of his own.

Those doubts were currently swirling through the Doctor's mind and making him question how he was even going to function like this. The Doctor hated everything about this. Not only was he currently confined to one place and one time, uncertain of just what it was going to take to repair the TARDIS, but he was, for the time being, now in a state of dependence. Dependence on Rose. He hated the loss of control and vulnerability for _any_ length of time. This was _not_ a position he was used to being in.

Yet at the same time, he trusted Rose with his life. If he had to relinquish some of his control to someone else right now he had to admit to being glad it was her. He thought of what she must have been going through since the day before. Rose must have been terrified, yet she had kept her wits, gotten them both to safety and stayed by his side after. And in the face of his immediate frustrations he hadn't really shown adequate gratitude for that.

"Rose?" he spoke up again.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for...looking out for me."

He might not have been able to see it, but her smile had just made the room about three shades brighter. Rose reached across for his hand and joined it with hers as she had the previous night, the established gesture an anchor for them both as she answered simply, "Always."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N **Credit to my dear friend _enchantment1972_ for the comparison of the Doctor's current one-planet confinement to the 3rd Doctor's and her humorous line about him becoming the King's Scientific Advisor. I couldn't resist and just had to slip in the reference.

The Doctor is definitely fully awake now. ;)

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 6<span>**

The early morning sun rose higher, the scattering of light through the tall arched windows painting the room in blended shades of orange and gold. Rose continued talking with the Doctor, still feeling relief that he was awake and she now could. She finished recounting to him what had taken place and those she had met since their arrival the night before. There was a quiet, unspoken intimacy imbuing the moment as they lay together in the first light of dawn, speaking in hushed tones. They rarely spent such serene moments as this when they weren't running for their lives or saving a civilization or dashing towards the next adventure, and despite their currently less than ideal circumstances, Rose was content to just enjoy the moment for what it was. But their conversation was soon interrupted by a knock on the outside of the chamber's door.

"Apparently the castle wakes early," Rose remarked quietly as she sat up.

She slipped out of bed and quickly glanced around for something more to put on as the Doctor rose up to sit but remained in bed. Her soiled clothes from the night before were still lying crumpled on the floor. Rose didn't want to put on one of the dresses brought for her until she'd had a proper bath, but she didn't fancy putting on the same dirty clothes again either. She padded over to the wardrobe and flipped through the articles of clothing, finding a dressing gown. This would do. She slipped on the long, silky, dark blue robe over her T-shirt and knickers, tying the sash around her waist.

There was a second one intended for the Doctor, and since he was still only wearing his boxers beneath the blankets covering him, she thought he might appreciate putting one on as well. Considering he never usually went without so much as his jacket removed, he was no doubt feeling a little...exposed. Rose brought the robe to the Doctor, and he gratefully put it on as she made for the door, combing her fingers through her disheveled hair in hopes that she could look at least somewhat presentable.

Rose opened the door and was greeted by Nahlia, who held a tray of breakfast food. "Lady Rose," she greeted respectfully.

"Um, Nahlia...hi! And please, just call me Rose."

The older woman nodded, smiling politely. "I've brought you some breakfast. Forgive me for disturbing you this early, but I wanted to also check on your friend and send updated word to the physician on his condition."

"That would be me," the Doctor spoke up from his sitting position on the bed, having heard the exchange between the two women at the door. He put on a chipper tone as he spoke in her direction. "And as for my condition, I'm sure I'll be in tip-top shape in no time. Weeell, I say 'no time,' but actually, unless you're in a time lock or the Void or some other fixed state which halts the progression of time or exists outside the realm of a nonspatial continuum all together, then the term 'no time' really isn't an accurate one, I suppose. So how about...soon? Quickly? Posthaste? In a flash? Oooh...I like 'in a flash.' In a flash is good."

"As you can see, he's awake," Rose said with a smirk as she stood beside Nahlia.

"I am very glad to see you are doing better, sir."

"Doctor, this is Nahlia," Rose introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Nahlia," he said with a seemingly care-free grin, and Rose wondered just how many times he had hidden behind a false front of cheer, because she knew very well at this moment it was merely an act. He was still brooding.

"Likewise, sir," Nahlia replied.

"Please, just call me Doctor."

"Very well then, Doctor." She placed the tray of freshly-prepared food down on the table beneath the center window and removed the previous tray from the night before. "I'll send word to the physician that you are now awake and have him come to assess you after you have both had some time to eat your meal."

"Thank you, Nahlia," Rose said with a smile, grateful again for the hospitality being shown them.

"Are you feeling better today as well?" she asked.

"Yeah. Much better, thanks," Rose answered.

The older woman gave her a smile before dismissing herself from the room.

Rose retrieved the tray of food and moved it to the bed where she and the Doctor could share. Two steaming bowls of yellow porridge were accompanied by two smaller dishes of plump pink berries, and a platter of sliced bread spread with some type of orange glaze similar to jam, but much thinner in consistency.

Rose sat the tray between her and the Doctor on the bed as she described the various food items to him. "We have some fruit, bread, and it looks like some type of porridge. Are you hungry?"

The Doctor leaned towards the food and took a long whiff. "I'm starving."

Rose handed him a slice of warm bread and took one for herself, both biting in appreciatively. Some of the glaze ran down the Doctor's thumb, and Rose was about to hand him a folded cloth from the tray to wipe it with, but he took care of it quite sufficiently on his own as his thumb disappeared between his lips, then slowly withdrew, his tongue swirling languorously around the tip before finally releasing.

"Mmm, this is _very_ good," he practically moaned in pleasure, his voice low and deep.

Rose nearly moaned herself. She closed her slackened mouth and focused back on her food. "Y-yeah, very good," she agreed, feeling her cheeks flush. She often wondered if he did such things on purpose or was just totally unaware of his...effect.

Once they had finished the tasty bread, thoroughly enjoyed by each for various reasons, Rose sprinkled some of the berries on the porridge. She wasn't going to make an issue of asking if he needed help with eating this. She simply took the Doctor's hands and placed the bowl in his open palms. She briefly wondered how he would manage utensils and watched closely to see if he needed more help, but after just a second of fumbling he found the spoon in the bowl and brought a bite to his mouth without much difficulty.

As Rose watched the creamy, steaming substance disappear past his lips, she could feel the warmth rising to her cheeks again. Unbidden, the memory of spreading cool liquid across his lips and tongue the night before came to her mind. At the time, she had hardly been thinking about the intimacy of it. Now, however, the memory stirred an unmistakable heat low in her belly. Especially when that same tongue came out to lick the spoon from top to bottom in long, slow strokes, and Rose found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the languorous, sensual movement.

"You're staring," the Doctor stated matter-of-factly. "That's very rude."

Startled, Rose averted her gaze. How did he _do_ that?

"Superior Time Lord senses," he said, as if in answer to her secret thoughts. "I can tell."

Okay, how did he just do _that_? Because if she was now going to learn that he was a mind reader, then she had about two years' worth of blushing to catch up on.

"I wasn't...staring," Rose contested, trying not to sound as flustered as she momentarily felt. Is this what the close proximity of sharing a room with him was going to be like? Rose shrugged casually. Not that he could see it, but he could probably _sense_ it, so she put in the effort. "No, I was just...waiting to make sure that...," she waved her hand towards the bowl of yellow mush, "whatever _that_ is tasted fit to eat."

He smirked slightly. "So I'm your official taster, am I?"

"'Course you are. Superior taste buds, right?"

He sniffed proudly. "Quite right. And _this_...," he took another generous bite, smacking his lips a few times with his tongue, "is delicious porridge. Slightly sweet after a few seconds of thorough masticating, once the enzyme amylase present in saliva starts breaking down the hexose sugar polysaccharide molecules into its monomers. It's a bit similar to the odorous green mueglosh of Shlugra Four, though a little less...slimy."

Rose scrunched up her face. Only the Doctor could manage to turn her on one minute and gross her out the next. "Not sure I'm even hungry anymore," she mumbled. Rose took her own bowl of porridge and decided to try it none the less. She was pleasantly surprised. "You're right...it _is_ good. Though you could have just said so and left it at that."

He shook his head. "I'm your official taster, remember? These things have to be done properly if they are going to be done at all."

She chuckled, glad for the moment of semi-normalcy between them, despite the circumstances.

As they were finishing up their breakfast, there was another knock at the door. Rose moved the tray aside and stood to answer it. It was the physician, Tyrus, come to assess the Doctor.

Rose welcomed him in and followed with him over to where the Doctor sat on the bed, and she introduced him.

"A doctor for the Doctor, eh?" he commented lightly, but Rose knew he hated even having this need for one.

"Well, you are certainly looking much improved from the last time I saw you. And how are you feeling this morning?" Tyrus asked.

"Me? Oh, right as rain. Except for being in the dark."

"Would you allow me to remove the bandages and take a look?"

The Doctor nodded and sat up a little straighter on the bed. The physician had brought a satchel of supplies – fresh bandages and ointment. He sat the items down and had the Doctor turn away from the windows to avoid direct light as he began unwrapping the covering from the Doctor's eyes.

Rose stood on the other side of the bed, watching anxiously and biting down on her lip as the bandage was unraveled. The Doctor's eyes remained closed as the final layer was removed. Rose exhaled a breath of relief just seeing his un-obscured face again, and it revealed that the skin beneath the bandage, like the rest of his face and neck, had nearly healed, too; although his eyelids were crusted and swollen.

"Your burns have improved greatly in such a short amount of time," Tyrus noted. He also examined the Doctor's head and found that the gash had healed over.

"I'm a very quick healer. And I'm sure my eyes will be fine before long, too," the Doctor stated, forcing confidence. He did believe he would recover, but it was the limitations of here and now that was only serving to amplify the negativity of this entire situation.

"Well, let's take a look at your eyes, shall we? Now just relax and tell me if you feel too much pain." He lifted the Doctor's right eyelid, then the left. Rose leaned closer to see his condition. The redness had diminished but the milky haze had not. They actually looked a little more clouded. The Doctor was unable to keep his eyes open on his own due to the pain. "Now, turn your head slightly to the left towards the light, but not all the way so that it's direct. Can you perceive the light?" Tyrus asked.

The Doctor turned his head slightly towards the windows as instructed and nodded. "Now that the bandage is off, yes."

"Good. That is a very good sign. I'm going to put some more ointment in your eyes and re-wrap them, but I do believe there is a good chance you will regain most, if not all, of your sight, given time."

Rose felt her heart leap at hearing those words. They were certainly in need of some good news right about now.

After he finished attending the Doctor, the physician left the chamber.

Rose had escorted him to the door. She then came back over to the Doctor who still sat up on the edge of the bed. "Well, things aren't so bad, then. You'll be perfectly fine soon," she said cheerily, then ventured a little further. "And I'm sure the TARDIS will be, too. And in the meantime we get a new planet to explore. Could be worse, right?"

"Oh, don't say that, Rose Tyler," he admonished with a stern shake of his head, half joking but half not. "You're just inviting trouble, you are. That's almost as bad as saying 'no turning back' or 'nothing could possibly go wrong'."

Rose chuckled. She moved and sat back down beside him on the bed. "Well in this case I think things can only get better from here. We're due for a change of luck, right?"

"Hmph," he grunted, non-committedly.

"You _will_ be better soon," she reiterated gently.

"'Course I will," the Doctor proclaimed with confidence, then let his true feelings slip out. "It's just the matter of being bloody useless in the meantime."

She nudged him with her shoulder. "You're not useless. Never could be. And I'm _not_ gonna let you sit here and feel sorry for yourself, either."

"I don't!" he refuted, but he knew she had him pegged.

"'Course you don't. Because I just said I wouldn't let you."

The Doctor was quite certain that at this precise moment Rose was grinning at him with that sliver of tongue peeking out between her teeth, the deliberate tease. "Fine," he grumbled. "Well since you're apparently the decision maker here, is there anything I _am_ allowed to do? Let's see...stranded in one place and one time without a functioning TARDIS – _again_. How about if I apply for the position of the King's Scientific Advisor, hmm? Maybe brush up on my Venusian Aikido while I'm at it?" he quipped grouchily.

"What?" Rose puzzled.

"Oh, never mind," he mumbled.

She slowly grinned back at him. "I'll tell you what we'll do. _We_ are going to explore today."

"Rose...," he began cautiously. The Doctor wasn't fond of the idea of just sitting around in this chamber, but the last thing he wanted was to be led around by the hand.

"I don't mean the kind of exploration that involves running. Well..._maybe_ not. You never can be too sure, I s'pose. But we've got this whole castle, right? I haven't even had a chance to see the grounds." Rose stood up and moved over to the tall center window. "There's a gorgeous garden down there." Rose turned to look back towards him. "And I bet you could identify every one of the plants out there just by smelling 'em."

This actually piqued his interest slightly, almost like a challenge. "_Or_ by tasting them."

Rose pulled a face. With his temporary loss of eyesight, she just hoped his method of compensating didn't mean his oral fixation was going to spiral out of control. Though even _with_ his eyesight he would probably use the same method of analysis. "Yeah...I bet you could," she admitted with a sigh of resignation. "So what'd you say? An exploratory trip out to the palace gardens?" Rose glanced down at herself and remembered again just how dirty she was beneath the robe she wore, the Doctor in an equally soiled state. Before changing into anything clean, a bath was definitely in order – for _both_ of them. "S'pose we'll need to get cleaned up first though. I think we're both a little worse for wear."

The Doctor could still smell the smoke permeating them both, and he imagined they probably looked about as in need of a cleaning up as Rose said. And basic cleanliness issues aside, he was more than ready for them both to be rid of the enveloping scent of smoke that right now served as a constant reminder of the crash. "Right. Well, I suppose a good washing is in order," he agreed.

Rose pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, biting nervously. This brought up another issue. The Doctor didn't want to feel helpless or dependent and she in no way wanted to treat him as such, but in all practicality he was going to need assistance. "I...I could help you," Rose suggested, wishing she'd managed to make such an offer without her voice faltering.

The Doctor's voice took on a wary tone. Did Rose actually realize just what she was suggesting? "Rose, I'm sure I can..."

She was able to sound a little firmer this time as she cut in. "Doctor, we need to be practical here. You've only just recovered from being knocked senseless."

"I wasn't knocked s–"

"Yes, you _were_. You were out cold for at least a couple of hours."

"My body simply shut down all non-vital systems in order to begin repairing itself," he clarified.

"Exactly. Because you've been hurt. And the last thing you need now is to fall in the tub."

"The percentages of _human_ injuries and/or deaths attributed to falls in the tub do not apply to Time Lords, Rose," he attempted to counter.

Rose sighed. She realized this was an awkward situation, but he wasn't making it any easier. "Okay, so you're not human. But you're not _superhuman_ either, and you're still capable of being hurt. You're supposed to be getting _better_, not re-injured. And I've seen the bathing chamber. It's not just a tub...more like a small sunken pool with steps. You'll need help getting in and out if nothing else." She moved nearer, her voice gentle but assured, hoping to put aside his hesitation about the situation. "Let me help you. It's what we do for each other, yeah? And...and you can help me, too," she added, not quite meeting his face, even though he couldn't look into hers. Yet she made the suggestion because she wasn't going to ask him to put himself in a position she wasn't willing to be in, too.

He swallowed down hard.

Rose forged ahead, trying her best to sound casual. This was _just_ about the simple, mundane task of getting clean, she tried to reason to herself. "This place doesn't exactly have state-of-the-art showers like the TARDIS. I could probably use a...a hand rinsing my hair."

"You scratch my back and I scratch yours?" he said with an upward twitch of his lips.

Rose wasn't sure if he put that explicit visual image in her head deliberately or not, but it was certainly there in living color. She cleared her throat. "Exactly. Team work. 'S what we're good at." She dropped her eyes to the floor, her cheeks coloring. "And you can keep your underpants on," she all but mumbled. At that second Rose was actually glad he couldn't see because her face was undoubtedly red as a tomato.

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck, his gob for once failing him as he was unable to string together a complete sentence. "Yes...well...um..."

Rose quickly turned. "Right. Tub. I'll just go...get it filled."

If nothing else could be said for this day, it was at least off to an interesting start.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N **Bath time. ;)

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 7<span>**

Rose turned from the Doctor and went into the bathing chamber to prepare the much-needed bath for both of them. Both were unarguably feeling a little...tense with the situation. Sharing a bath together certainly wasn't a part of their 'normal' routine, but this needed doing, and Rose wasn't going to back away from helping the Doctor during this time when he needed her, despite the high potential for awkwardness.

It was a generous sized chamber, a little larger than the en-suites in the TARDIS, which themselves were roomy. The floor and walls were of the same smooth gray stone as the bedchamber. A small circular window high on the left wall lit the room with the soft glow of the morning light, and luminous torches on the walls, like those in the bedchamber, added additional soft lighting to the tranquil space. The large tub was sunken in the floor and more like a small pool, nearly three meters square and about waist deep, with stone steps leading down into its depths and a stone bench across the length of the right side. The back of the tub was flanked by the wall, and tiered recesses notched into the stone, like natural shelving, held a pitcher, a cake of soap and several plush towels and smaller cloths.

Rose stepped down into the empty tub and peered about, trying to figure out how to fill it. There were four large inlets for water – one on each side of the tub – so it would fill fast. She noticed there were two bronze levers on the near side of the tub beside the steps. Rose pulled down on one, which closed the slats of the grated drain on the bottom. She pulled the second lever slowly, and water instantly began gushing in. She squeaked in surprise at the sudden force of the water and jumped back from the steamy spray. Rose climbed the steps back out of the tub. With the rate of water pouring in it would be filled very quickly.

After just about a minute, the tub was nearly full. Rose tested the water with a dip of her foot. The steamy bathwater was the perfect temperature, and it even seemed to have a natural fragrant scent, almost like jasmine but not quite. It was something a little more exotic she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"It smells like the hot springs of Mazralla Prime."

Rose spun around towards the sound of the Doctor's voice, surprised to see him there. He had apparently found the way well enough on his own. He stood in the entryway, his robe gone and clad in only his dark blue boxers. Rose had seen him in this rare state of undress the night before when she had been helping to tend his injuries. But at the time she was focused on his battered condition and had hardly been in the frame of mind to really notice anything else. She was noticing now.

Her eyes were intrinsically drawn to the strong planes, angles and ripples of his body that were normally concealed. His long legs were strong and toned, built for running. He was trim, but deceptively more muscular than he looked in those slim suits. There was a slight rippling of muscles across his abdomen, and his chest and arms were well defined. He wasn't bulky and he wasn't scrawny. In her eyes he was perfect. Even with his eyes bandaged and his body smudged here and there with the soot that had spread to his skin from his soiled suit when it had been removed, this didn't diminish the fact that he was, in a word, gorgeous.

"You're staring again," the Doctor said, his smooth voice unnervingly calm.

"I...I wasn't," Rose tried to deny. In all truthfulness it was more like...appreciative gawping. "I was just...surprised to see you there."

He stepped a few feet into the steamy room. Rose was pretty certain that if his eyes were uncovered she would see him arching a single eyebrow in that...sexy manner of his. Considering the speech-hindering effect he was already having on her, it was probably a good thing the unwittingly-seductive motion was concealed right now.

"Well, I _am_ supposed to be coming in here to bathe, aren't I?"

"Yeah, right, 'course." Rose sputtered, then quickly turned her attention back to the tub. She knelt down at the side and pulled the lever, shutting off the flow of water. She stood back up and turned around towards him. "I'll help you step in. First let me just...um..." _Oh_, this was going to get awkward. "Get undressed." Possibly very awkward.

The Doctor's face was impassive as he nodded mutely.

Rose's stomach suddenly felt like it was housing a butterfly sanctuary. But he was allowing himself to be in the vulnerable position of accepting her help in this way, and Rose determined that she would extend the same openness to him.

Rose untied the sash of her robe and slipped the smooth, dark blue fabric from her shoulders. She briefly thought of keeping at least her knickers on, but she was really in need of a good proper bath with all smoke-permeated clothing gone. Besides, it wasn't like the Doctor would really even be aware of that particular detail or know one way or the other, she told herself.

He knew. His senses were always lightning-sharp, but without his sight his other senses were now exceptionally enhanced. He could detect the sound of Rose's breathing increase just slightly at the same time he heard the fabric of her robe fall to the floor in a soft rustle. He could feel the light whoosh of air being stirred around them as material swooshed over her head and she pulled off her T-shirt. And he could hear the drag of the fabric sliding down the length of her legs as she slipped out of her knickers.

He might be at a visual disadvantage, but his mind's eye was filling in the dangerously-alluring details quite vividly. The Doctor swallowed down hard. _Why_ had he agreed to this or thought it could possibly be a good idea?

And why had they never done this before?

_Rassilon_, where had _that_ thought come from? The Doctor quickly banished all such perilous thoughts. _Well_, 'banished' might be too strong a word. When it came down to it he was still, after all, a man.

But he was also a man who didn't allow himself to go any further with such thoughts, so he mentally reinforced his usually ironclad restraint.

Rose's bare feet slapped softly on the stone as she stepped up closer to the Doctor, her heart beating a little faster than it had a moment ago. She had tried not to overthink this ahead of time, but even though he couldn't see her, the fact that she was actually standing naked in front of the Doctor made her face burn about as hotly as his had the previous day. This rather arousing situation was stirring an intensity of feelings within her that was going to make actual bathing a _very_ difficult task to focus on if she didn't get a grip on herself.

Silently, Rose reached out and took his hand, a gesture second-nature to them, but somehow in this moment it felt a thousand times more intimate. She turned and led him a few steps forward, the Doctor painstakingly careful to keep a safe distance between their bodies.

"Okay," Rose began, her voice sounding a little strained as she spoke, "we're right at the edge. There're five steps down into the water, and a bench we can sit on to the right once we're in. You ready?"

The Doctor cleared his throat, though his voice still came out sounding rough. "Ready." He forced his attention off the heat radiating from Rose's body and focused toward the heat radiating from the water as he sought the edge. He reached an experimental foot forward and felt the water's brim. With his hand still grasping hers, they stepped into the water together, down the steps one at a time, then waded over to the stone bench on the right side to sit.

Rose released his hand once they were both seated and sunk down into the soothing water up to her neck as she let out a long sigh, the tension starting to melt away. "Ohhh, this feels so good. Didn't realize how much I needed this." Rose had pushed the dull throb out of her mind, but her entire body had been aching since the day before.

The Doctor's own tense body relaxed measurably in the steamy bath. He sank down a little lower, letting his head rest against the back edge of the tub. "Mmm, it does feel good," he had to admit.

Opening her eyes, Rose turned her head slightly and indulged in the sight of him, hoping he was relaxed enough that his unnervingly-heightened senses wouldn't perceive her looking this time. She'd never had the chance to see him quite this open before. His face was tranquil and relaxed, his long body in a state of ease. Her eyes trailed up his masculine form and over the soft smattering of chestnut hair across his lean chest. From this proximity she could see his fair skin was dappled with light freckles similar to those of his face, and for some reason she found that all the more sexy. His shoulders rose out of the water, and his slick skin took on a warm glow in the soft light.

There was certainly no denying the strong attraction she felt. What Rose found herself realizing all the more in this moment, however, was that the attraction and feelings she held for him went so far beyond the physical. They always had, even when he existed inside a completely different body.

A few serene moments passed, and the Doctor had relaxed to the point that Rose's unexpected touch upon his skin startled him. He drew a breath and stiffened as her fingers brushed across his chest.

She pulled her hand back, splashing gently as it fell back down to the water. She had reached out without thinking, her eyes drawn to a mark on his skin. "Sorry. 'S just...there's a bruise here. I didn't notice it earlier. Looks like it's nearly faded, though. Mostly well now."

He dipped his face to his chest, as if he could see the mark in question. "Well, it _was_ a rough landing. I'm fine, though. It doesn't hurt. Like you said, it's almost faded." The Doctor then pondered a thought that had troubled him earlier; and even though he had already asked once, he needed to re-confirm her answer. He turned his head towards her. "Are you sure _you're_ alright, Rose? You weren't...hurt, were you? You would tell me if you were, wouldn't you?" His lips thinned as he pressed them together, his jaw tight.

In all honesty, the last thing Rose had a chance to give much thought to in this was her own condition. She might be a little tender, but she hadn't sustained injuries like the Doctor's. But as her body had slipped into the water and was soothed, she'd realized just how achingly-sore she had been. Looking at herself, Rose noticed she was mottled with quite a few black and blue marks of her own, some rather nasty ones that wouldn't heal quite as quickly as the Doctor's had. She certainly wasn't going to complain, though. She'd been through rougher scrapes than this.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rose assured him. "A few bruises maybe, but nothing more."

The Doctor's jaw tensed all the more. It didn't sit well with him that she was even bruised, but he nodded slightly, accepting that she at least wasn't injured more severely and trying to hide it for his sake.

Rose could sense the brooding unease swelling up in him again. She didn't want him dwelling on the crash any more than he already was. Time to distract him. She reached for the bar of soap on the shelf beside her and worked it up to a rich lather into one of the smaller cloths. The spicy exotic scent, similar to that of the water but stronger, wafted through the steamy air around them.

Rose reached for the Doctor's hand underwater and lifted it, handing him the soapy cloth. "Here," she said softly.

He took it without word and sat up as he began working the lather up his arms, across his chest, down his abdomen...

Rose swallowed (which wasn't an easy thing to do with a suddenly-dry mouth) and averted her eyes. He _could_ tell if she was staring, after all, and she'd already been called out enough times. She distracted herself by reaching for another cloth and soaping up one for her own use. Rose then went about washing her own body.

Both fought to focus on their mutual tasks, but bathing together like this was one of the more _unique_ situations they had yet experienced together, and it was making it hard to concentrate on anything that didn't involve seeing or vividly picturing what the other was doing.

Then Rose's bare thigh brushed his as she shifted, and both hitched a breath. The cloth momentarily slipped from the Doctor's hands, and he quickly groped for it, his hand managing to brush her hip in the process. Rose drew a sharp breath and held it in anticipation of where that fumbling hand might land next.

"Sorry! I–"

Rose retrieved the cloth from the water and handed it back to him. "H-here. Here you go."

"Thanks."

He sat stiffly, afraid now to even move lest he inadvertently brush against another part of her naked anatomy.

Rose cleared her throat. They both just needed to take a breath and relax. She reached for the bar of soap again. "Here, why don't I help you wash your hair?"

If possible, he tensed even more. "Rose, I can–"

"If you're not careful the soap will run down and seep through the bandage into your eyes, and I'm sure that's not exactly gonna help right now."

Bloody logic. He sighed in resignation.

"Just scoot down a little so you can tip your head back, then put your hands over your eyes while I wash. Teamwork, yeah?"

"Teamwork," he agreed, though his voice sounded slightly gravelly as he complied with her request.

Rose cupped some water in her hands and poured it on his head to moisten it, then rubbed the soap together in both her hands until it was worked into a thick foam. She moved her hands to his head. Rose expected him to stiffen again at the touch, but he literally melted beneath her like butter. His whole body relaxed from the gentle stroking. She sank her fingers deep into his thick hair, massaging back and forth through his scalp and sliding her fingers up and down the dark, soft strands.

He released a deep, contented sigh past his lips, and Rose couldn't help but smile indulgently.

"Feel good?" she asked.

A small, blissful smile crossed his lips. "Ohhh, brilliant."

He was quite obviously enjoying this as she continued caressing in long, slow strokes. And did he just...?

Rose stopped briefly, and he made a small noise of protest. "Did you just..._purr_?"

He stiffened a little. "Time Lords do not purr," he replied with a sniff, affronted.

"You purred!" she teased.

He harrumphed.

"But it was a very...manly purr."

"Well I'm not_...purring_ now because you've stopped," he whinged, all aforementioned manliness gone from his voice as it rose a pitch higher.

Rose chuckled, her eyes dancing as she resumed her attentions and he instantly dissolved again. "I think I've just found your second favorite thing next to bananas."

"Hmm," he replied, blissfully distracted. "I think you missed a spot."

"I've created a monster," she joked, but continued the activity that they were _both_ rather enjoying.

After a few pained sighs of protest, he finally relented and allowed Rose to finish. She had enjoyed it almost as much as he, but her fingers were starting to get stiff. With his body already washed and hair quite thoroughly scrubbed, all that was left to do was rinse. Rose opened the drain on the bottom of the tub to release the sudsy bathwater, and then let in a fresh stream of water. She took the pitcher sitting beside the tub and filled it, then carefully rinsed the soap from his hair. She blushed when he took the pitcher from her hands and said he could rinse his body. That was probably for the best, Rose thought.

As he did this, she then quickly washed her own hair, and was planning to just crouch on her knees (bruised as they were) beneath the spray of water gushing in from one of the inlets rather than wait for him to finish with the pitcher. But as she finished scrubbing and was squeezing out the lather from her hair, Rose felt the Doctor's hand touch her upper back and settle there.

Like the accidental brush of his hand earlier, the muscles beneath her flesh tensed and quivered once again from the sensation of his hand on her bare skin in a place he had never touched unclothed. But this time the contact was deliberate. There was no fumbling or pulling away, and she was hyper-aware of each long finger pressed to her slick skin. An errant thought passing through her mind wondered how he managed to even know where his hand would come to rest, because he could have ended up in an entirely _different_ location. Then again, he always was a risk-taker...

Rose slowly turned to face him, and he kept his hand on her, now sliding up to her shoulder.

One hand held the pitcher, and he moved his other hand from her shoulder up to her head, slowly stroking his fingers through the sudsy strands. Rose closed her eyes and bit back a moan. She fully understood his enjoyment of her own touch earlier.

His words, if simply measured on their own, were innocent; but his voice when he spoke them sounded low and husky to her ears. "Teamwork, remember? Said I'd help, too. It's only fair I return the favor."

Never let it be said Rose was one to argue with fairness.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/ N **This was originally going to be a part of the previous chapter, but this second half started taking on a life of its own and I wanted a bit more time to develop it. So I suppose that makes this part II of the previous.

A huge thank you again for your lovely reviews that have been keeping me eager to write! :)

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 8<span>**

"_Teamwork, remember? Said I'd help, too. It's only fair I return the favor."_

Rose stood facing the Doctor, his offer of helping her still lingering in the air between them like the steam enveloping the room. Both were aware she was capable of doing this on her own, but that wasn't what this was about. Right now, in this current situation they had suddenly been thrust into the only thing they had was each other. A degree of openness and trust was building between them on a level a little deeper than they had yet reached and meaning just a little more than it ever had. Having nothing to depend on but each other, both needed to know each was there for the other unequivocally, even for something like this. He had let her do this for him and in return she would grant the same openness.

This evened the score between them, so to speak; but the unspoken intimacy of it, which went a little further than Rose thought the Doctor would have actually let himself go, left her momentarily silenced. Rose just wordlessly nodded in assent, then realized that wasn't exactly the best form of communication at the moment.

"Here," she said simply, taking his hand with the pitcher and guiding it down to the gushing water pouring in from the inlet beside them.

He stooped slightly and felt for the stream of water, then held the pitcher beneath. Once filled, he turned back in her direction. "Turn around," he softly requested. Rose silently complied. He then slowly felt up the base of her neck with his fingers, and Rose fought not to shiver, but the effort was futile as small tremors pulsed down her spine like tiny sparks. Moving higher, he found the top of her head and placed one hand there to guide him as he slowly poured the water down over her. Rose tipped her head back and closed her eyes. He repeated the motion several times, his fingers running through her slippery tresses, chasing after the water and clearing the lather.

Rose stood still as the steamy water sluiced down her body, the Doctor so close behind her that she could hear each inhale and exhale of breath as he assisted her with this simple yet so personal act. His hand then slid down her neck and over to her left shoulder. It rested there as he refilled the pitcher, then rinsed away the suds gathered there, the warm, clear water cascading across her shoulders and down her body, his sensitive fingertips acting as his eyes down her neck and across the tops of her shoulders to feel the clearing of the soapy foam.

The low sound of his voice drew Rose out of the nearly spellbound state that had enfolded her.

"You're cold," he breathed out, so close that she swore she could feel his words spoken across her skin. So dangerously close that if he inclined forward or she inched back any space between their bodies would vanish.

"W-what?" came her intelligent reply as her eyes slowly floated open. Then she registered his words. At the moment her body felt like it was smoldering. Being cold certainly wasn't an issue.

"You're shivering," he noted, fingertips still lingering on her slick skin.

Rose swallowed. Shivering, _yes_. Cold, _no_. "No...I..." She wasn't able to finish, but she didn't have to. He had to know. Surely. He was either being cheeky about it or looking for an excuse to end this before it became a little too much. Maybe it already had.

This moment between them felt intensely intimate, and a part of her didn't want it to have to end. But there was only so much rinsing to be done, though he might have already refilled and poured one or two times more than necessary. Rose certainly wasn't complaining about his...thoroughness. Once she was rinsed clean, she took the pitcher for him and placed it down on the side of the tub, then shut off the water.

"There," he spoke, his voice soft.

"Thank you," she managed to breathe out, and those two words were enough – neither too much nor lacking.

Rose took him by the hand and helped him maneuver the steps out of the tub. She then retrieved two of the large towels and handed one to him. Her entire body was tingling with electric energy, and she rubbed hard with the towel, trying to regain her equilibrium.

As they continued drying off, Rose winced as she rubbed a little too vigorously over a tender bruise on her shoulder.

The Doctor picked up on the sound instantly. "You're hurt," he stated, his body tensing.

"'S just a bruise," she tried to dismiss.

His jaw was tight. "Bring me the sonic."

"Doctor..."

"Please, Rose."

She'd never heard quite such an insistent tone from him edged with just a bit of desperation. This wasn't about simple bruises. He still felt responsible for their situation and at the moment completely powerless to change it. Powerless wasn't a position the Doctor was accustomed to being in and he felt driven to fix _something_ here, even if it was just a bruise.

Wrapping and securing the towel around herself, Rose slipped out into the bedchamber and retrieved the sonic screwdriver from the impossibly-deep pocket of his jacket hanging in the wardrobe. She then returned to him.

The same thought she'd had about the sonic screwdriver right after the crash when she had been desperate to help the Doctor suddenly returned. There was a setting that could help with injuries. "Can this fix your eyes, too?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

"It's not a magic wand," he replied ruefully. "It can do a great many things and even diminish bruises, but some things aren't as easily fixed. Even if the TARDIS med bay was in working order there isn't a simple cure for restoring eyesight. It's not something that has an instant remedy. They _will_ heal on their own soon, though," he reiterated, trying to sound confident in the assertion.

"So will the bruises," Rose added quietly.

"Just let me do this for you, Rose. Please," he softly requested.

"This isn't your fault, you know," she restated, but placed the sonic in his outstretched hand none the less.

"Whether it is or it isn't, I can still help with this." The Doctor, able to quite literally work the sonic with his eyes closed, found the setting he needed with ease. "Show me where," he requested quietly.

Rose clutched the towel to the center of her chest with one hand and swept her damp hair away from her left shoulder with the other. She then took the Doctor's free hand and placed it there gently, that pleasurable tingle running through her again. "Here."

The Doctor ran the blue light over the tender flesh in a small, circular pattern, following behind it with his fingers, as if carefully checking his work. "Better?" he asked after a moment, softly stroking the skin.

Rose just nodded. _Oh_, she had to stop doing that. She swallowed and spoke up. "Yeah. Um, y-yes, thank you."

"Now, where else?"

Rose stood silent. It seemed he wasn't just letting this go. "'M fine. Really."

"Rose..." His tone harbored slight agitation, and it was clear he definitely wasn't letting this drop.

She decided to just let him do this. Somehow he _needed_ to. Rose lowered the towel, then let it drop to the floor around her feet. She had a painful black bruise on her left hipbone. He wouldn't even have to know, but he was expecting honesty and she couldn't give him anything less in this moment.

Drawing a breath, she took his hand again and placed it softly on her hip, her voice equally soft and fighting to remain steady. "And here."

She tried not to tremor as his fingertips brushed over her flesh. She knew the trust she was offering him in this moment meant as much as anything else. And this wasn't a trust she would give to just anyone. He had never touched her here before, and just a few inches inward with his hand and he would be in a place he _certainly_ never had.

He moved his fingers aside and ran the soothing beam over her injured skin, a little of the tenderness dissipating. He placed his hand there again, and Rose was sure this time he could feel her shiver. Then he stroked, and it was all she could do to breathe.

"That's better," he said quietly, almost to himself, his hand still lingering on her hip. "Where else?"

Rose squeezed her eyes shut. Was he trying to heal her or kill her? There was one last nasty bruise, and she determined to just let him finish what he'd started. "Just my left knee," she admitted, eyes still shut.

Then he did exactly what she had pictured he would, but the image in her mind didn't quite do the reality justice. He lowered himself down to his own knees, his head now level with the middle of her body. She opened her eyes and looked down at him, his face directly centered with a part of her body he'd never been face-to-face with, and even with a bandage covering his eyes Rose was quite certain she couldn't have possibly felt more exposed, even if he _had_ been able to see her.

Then he was touching her, and Rose was pretty sure she was making a _new_ bruise on her lip as she bit down hard. His open palm grazed up her calf as he found his way to her knee, then guided the light of the sonic there as well. This bruise was particularly sore and slightly swollen, but pain was the last sensation Rose felt at the moment.

"How does that feel?" he asked, the tips of his long fingers gently stroking.

Was he kidding? And _oh_, this meant she had to speak again. "G-good," she rasped. Rose cleared her throat and tried again. "Much better. Thank you."

The Doctor switched off the sonic screwdriver and stood. "No, Rose. Thank _you_."

The weight between them in that heavy moment suddenly vanished like a vapor as the Doctor did what he did best with his mercurial shifts in mood. He was then all bright grin and animated movement as he suddenly switched gears as quickly as he switched settings on the sonic screwdriver. "_And_...I can take care of this, too."

The sonic buzzed around her head in a flurry of movement, and within a few moments her hair was perfectly dry. He then did the same to himself, ruffling his hair with pizazz into its usual, perfect disarray once dry. Rose couldn't help but chuckle. Sometimes he could be so hot and cold and so...alien. Though she supposed the latter was to be expected. She touched the ends of her dry hair. "You're handy to have around, I'll give you that."

He grinned wide, and it would have seemed like a perfectly normal moment for them if Rose wasn't still standing there unclothed and the Doctor nearly so. "I'll just...um...bring you your clothes," she said. "They're right out here."

Rose went out and retrieved his suit, shirt, tie and trainers, and returned with them. "These have all been cleaned for you, courtesy of the house," she said, while placing the folded garments in his arms.

"Ah, brilliant!" he enthused, obviously glad to be getting back into the security of his usual clothes. Or clothes at all, for that matter.

And not that Rose had made a point to notice, but apparently he had dried his boxers in the time she'd been gone, so she wasn't going to even ask if he had a need for fresh underwear. They'd pushed the boundaries of 'awkward' far enough for one day.

Rose felt as if his eyes were on her as she turned and left, and she too was glad to be getting dressed again. Their shared bath had been far from unpleasant, but being naked around him like this was starting to get a little unnerving.

Rose went to the wardrobe to select one of the dresses that had been brought in for her the night before. She fingered the gowns, feeling the different textures and noting the styles. There was a part of her that always enjoyed this element of their travels, often able to experience the different fashions of the places or time periods they visited. She preferred her jeans and trainers when it came to what she wore on a regular basis, the style not only comfortable but also much more conducive to running (an important element, considering). But while she wasn't necessarily a 'girly girl,' once in a while she still liked to primp. If it hadn't been for the interruption of the werewolf, Rose always wished she'd been able to try on that lovely blue frock she had admired at the Torchwood House.

She selected a pale green dress, slightly less ornate than some of the others, but gorgeous none the less. The silky fabric had a wide scoop neckline, gathered bodice, and cinched waist. The three-quarter length sleeves poofed slightly between the two dark green woven cords crisscrossing the arms, and the A-line skirt was just a single layer of fabric so it had less fullness and more ease of movement than some of the others.

Rose slid on the dress, also stepping into a pair of pointed-toe slippers that complimented the look. The Doctor was still in the bathing chamber, and she assumed he was either fumbling just a little to get dressed or either giving her the privacy of dressing without him in the room since she'd already _undressed_ with him there.

Since she still had a little time, Rose sat down at the dressing table to see what it contained. The room having been prepared ahead of time, it was stocked for their various needs. Rose didn't have access to her usual makeup, but there appeared to be cosmetics in one of the drawers, and she decided to experiment. She dusted her face with a translucent powder that gave off a very subtle luster, and dabbed her cheeks with a second powder that added just a touch of color. Opening the center drawer, she found a hairbrush and various jeweled clips and accessories. She brushed her hair out and pinned it up in a simple twist atop her head.

"I bet you look lovely."

The Doctor's warm voice caught her by surprise as he stood leaning against the open archway leading back into the bedchamber. His posture was casual, his hands tucked in his pinstriped pockets, one Converse-clad foot crossed over the other at the ankle. He looked like, well, himself, except for the strip of bandage covering his eyes as a stark reminder as to why he had to make assumptions about her appearance.

"You bet I look lovely...considering I'm human," she corrected, the light quip covering her reaction to the unexpected compliment _and _his current sight limitation.

He pushed off from the doorway and walked a few more feet into the room. "You know, Rose, that was a compliment. You need to learn how to say thank you," he teased.

Keeping with the light mood they were striving to create, Rose almost made a joking remark about him being the last type to give a lecture on manners. Instead, when she stood to face him, she had the strongest urge just to kiss him lightly on the newly-healed skin of his cheek and simply say thank you. She followed through with the second thought, anyway. She reached for his hand and spoke with gentle sincerity. "Thank you."

He was silent for a second, then beamed at her with a bright smile. "You're learning."

She just smiled back at him and tugged softly on his hand. "C'mon, you. Let's go exploring."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N **Not a plot-heavy chapter (yet), but it's the moments like this that make me love Ten & Rose all the more. Plus I want to include a bit of semi-fluff while I can... ;)

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 9<span>**

His hand in hers, Rose tugged the Doctor gently towards the door and towards their latest adventure, hoping that simply getting the Doctor outside for a bit would lift the glum mood she knew was still lingering below the surface due to their situation. But as she moved for the door he held back and slipped his hand from her grasp.

"Just a sec," the Doctor said, then reached up and began removing the bandaging from over his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Rose quickly questioned, a little concerned.

"I'm going to give my eyes a chance to adjust to the light outside. They need to start taking in a little more light, and they can't do that all...wrapped and smothered."

Rose put a hand on his arm to still him. "Well...maybe we should ask Tyrus first. See what he says, and..."

"Rose," the Doctor cut in, his voice taking on an impatient, slightly irritated tone, "I am _more_ than capable of making this determination for myself. I do not need a 'second opinion.'"

"Blimey, it's true that doctors make the worst patients," she muttered. "Fine. But light aside, the bandage also helps keep your eyes closed and protected. What if you accidentally open them?"

He snorted. "Believe me, Rose, that is not going to be a problem. At this point my eyes would have to be forced open. It's like when something jabs you in the eye and you literally _can't_ open them. My instinct right now is to keep them shut."

"Are you in much pain?" Rose asked softly, tensing at the thought. He hadn't complained about the pain; but then, he wouldn't. So that didn't mean he wasn't experiencing a great deal of it.

"Oh, I've had far worse," he said by way of answering, the clawing pain he had initially felt from the TARDIS coming to mind, for one.

Rose wasn't sure if she should be reassured by his answer or feel even more sympathy for him.

The immediate issue settled, the Doctor finished unwrapping the bandage. Her cautions aside, Rose couldn't help but feel a bit of relief once again in seeing his uncovered face. Now if she could just see into those soulful brown eyes once more. It was clear he still had some healing to do. His lids were still swollen and also crusted at the slits, partly from the ointment but also from the weeping and drying over of lacrimal fluid.

"How do they look?" the Doctor asked, somewhat hesitant.

Rose bit her lip as she leaned a little closer for a better look. "Well, better than yesterday, at least."

He nodded acceptingly. "I'll take better. Better is good. Better is better than worse."

"A genius bit of reasoning there," she remarked with a smirk, taking his hand again.

"I do have my moments of utter brilliance. Often, in fact," he grinned.

She rolled her eyes fondly and began leading him out of the chamber.

In the aftermath of their shared bathing experience, there was the high possibility that things between them might be a little tense or awkward, but it actually seemed to bring them to a level of ease in the midst of their situation. They didn't need to speak of it; the added closeness was just quietly and reassuringly there.

Navigating the various twists and turns and spiraling steps through the castle had taken a bit of care, but it wasn't as difficult as Rose had thought it might be. The Doctor's other senses were razor-sharp (as Rose had been made keenly aware), and he was compensating well.

As they moved through the castle, Rose wondered if they might encounter King Zerin while about. She wondered if he even traversed the grounds of the castle often, though she suspected he spent most of his time overseeing the affairs of the kingdom from within, not having time for such leisure activity as strolls in the garden. Well, she and the Doctor were two who would take in the enjoyment, at least.

They finally reached the main entrance hall and moved through the large arching doors leading outside. It was a gorgeous day, clear and mild with a gentle breeze. Once outside, they followed a stone-paved path to the east side of the castle grounds that Rose had seen from their upper window where a sprawling garden occupied the space. There were a few others outside coming and going from the castle who cast respectful but noticeably curious glances their way, but deeper into the garden area there didn't seem to be anyone about, as all were apparently occupied elsewhere at this height of mid-morning.

A pebbled path meandered through the lush grounds, adorned with various types of exotic trees that afforded tranquil shade along the pathway. One such row of tall trees – their hanging branches somewhat like weeping willows but dark purple in color – formed an archway over the path, and low, flowering plants and bushes of various types and colors skirted each side of the scenic walkway.

"What does this planet look like?" the Doctor asked curiously as they slowly walked hand-in-hand along the path. He wished he could see it for himself, but for the moment he could be content seeing it through her eyes. Actually, Rose had a fresh way of seeing things on a different level and often picked up on things he might otherwise miss.

But for Rose this felt like such a role reversal. Usually she was seeing new planets and new horizons through the Doctor's eyes as he painted the experience with colorful details of history and facts and comparisons with other experiences throughout his many travels. Now he was the one having to literally see it through her eyes.

Rose tilted her head toward the clear sky peeking through the overhang of trees as she pondered his question. "It's beautiful here. It's like if you take the colors you see on Earth and magnify them. Everything's richer, brighter. The grass is green, but a really deep, vibrant green. The sky is a deep turquoise color. Sort of like that planet we went to once where the sky was the same color as their ocean, and you could hardly tell where one ended and the other began…what was it called?"

"Glishran?"

"Glishran! That's it. That's what this sky reminds me of. And then there're the trees. Most of them are a golden color – the leaves _and_ the trunks. If you look at the hills around the castle you see vivid gold against the deep green. 'S beautiful." Rose swept her gaze around their immediate surroundings. "But there are also different colors of trees here in the garden, too. The ones hanging over us on the path are a deep purple. And there are some tall red ones just off to the left. The castle itself...well, I s'pose it looks like you would expect a castle to look – a massive building of gray stone with round turrets and pointed spires, and a high stone wall around the castle. And just a little ways outside the main gate, the road leads to a busy town. Sort of primitive, I guess you could say, with open marketplace stalls and stone buildings, and most traveling by foot, or..." Rose stopped walking and turned towards him. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you about the black horses that aren't really horses!"

"Horses that aren't horses?" he questioned, intrigued.

"Well, they're sort of like horses, but they have heads almost like lions – _fierce_ looking! They're what the King and his men were riding when they found us. And then there're the people. There seems to be two different races on Zobulan. Shadarra – she's the former King's niece who I talked to last night – she said something about the Jezrians and the Krendorians, and it sounded like the two don't always get along. But King Zerin seems to be a good man who treats them all equally well, from what she said." Rose paused and thought about her impression of the King. "He seems kind," she said thoughtfully. "Well, obviously if he's taken us in like this. But he's also...I dunno...sort of quiet, too. Like he's got a lot on his mind, or something. 'Course, being the King, I s'pose he would. But I think he's just sort of...intrigued by us. I s'pose most everyone here is, though."

"Hmm. Well, this does seem to be an interesting place, I'll say that," the Doctor remarked. "And you've gotten quite the scoop, Lewis." He nudged her with his shoulder and Rose smiled. "So...tell me more about this garden we find ourselves in." He stopped, holding up one hand before she could speak. "No...no, no, no. Wait. Hold on. I think I can do a little describing of my own. Prepare to be impressed, Rose Tyler."

She grinned, glad that the distraction of a walk in the garden seemed to be working at the moment. He seemed a little more relaxed.

The Doctor released her hand and walked to the edge of the path. He then stooped to a squatting position closer to the foliage. He paused before taking a long, measured sniff, then spoke slowly, as if carefully unraveling a mystery through the clues his scent-investigation had just given him. "Somewhere very close by should be a creeping vine with slender, spiral-shaped leaves. Do you see it?"

Rose came to stand beside him and glanced around. She spotted some foliage that seemed to fit the description winding around a purple tree trunk a few feet to their right. "I think this is it!" she announced with enthusiasm as she hurried closer. Rose plucked a few of the prized leaves to bring back to him. She turned them over in her hand, inspecting them closely and rubbing her fingers along the curled, waxy surface. "So, what's special about this, then?"

He grinned brightly. "Oh, it's quite interesting, indeed! You see, no matter where you go or how far in the universe, it seems just about every planet has some form of the Toxicodendron Radicans plant. Also known on North American Earth as poison ivy."

Rose shrieked and threw the leaves to the ground. "Doctor! Why did you just tell me to PICK poison ivy?"

He stood. "I didn't tell you to _pick_ it! I just said to look for it!"

"And I found it!"

"Well good for you!"

Rose scowled furiously, holding her hands out stiffly from her body so she wouldn't spread the insidious substance on herself further. If it wasn't for his present condition she'd have half a mind to wipe her hands on _him_. Though with his 'superior Time Lord biology' her revenge would probably be futile anyhow.

"Well?" she snipped.

"Well what?" he asked innocently.

"Can't you...I dunno...sonic this residue off me, or somethin'?" She flapped her hands helplessly in front of her, as if trying to shake off the poison.

"Why?"

Rose stomped her foot. "So I don't break out in a horrible rash any minute...or considering it's an alien variety...in...in some sort of giant boils!"

"Why would you do that?" he asked slowly, sounding genuinely puzzled.

_Oh_, was he trying to wind her up? "Because _YOU_ just had me pluck a handful of _Poison Ivy!"_

He shrugged dismissively. "Oh, this type isn't poisonous or otherwise rash-inducing," he stated casually, as if she should have already known. "The spiral-leafed variety never is."

Rose dropped her hands back to her sides. "Communication, Doctor," she huffed.

"Hmm?" was his distracted reply as he squatted again to get closer to another plant along the path.

"We seem to be lacking in it," she clarified flatly.

The Doctor didn't even seem to notice his companion's ire, having turned his full attention to another horticultural specimen. "Rose, come look at this!" he called giddily, like a child discovering a bright new toy.

She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, I think I'll pass this time. Thanks."

He turned his head toward her, his swollen lids more pleading than his eyes could have been. "But I wanted you to see this, even if I can't."

Rose dissolved. She never stood a chance against his eyes, open or closed, and certainly not against a plea like that. She stepped closer and stooped beside him. "What is it, then?" she asked softly.

He reached toward the base of a cluster of tall red stems. Once finding them, he delicately ran his thumb and index finger up the base of one slender stalk, but avoided the tip. "I'd say from the scent and the texture...," he pulled his hand away and licked his fingers as Rose scrunched her face, "hmm, yes...and the taste, that this is a specimen similar to the Liliaceaefamily, and it has a very interesting trigger for opening its blooms. Here, touch the tips," he encouraged.

"Oh, I don't know...," Rose hesitated.

"No, it's fine. I promise. Just touch it."

Rose eyed the stalks warily, then reached her fingers out with caution. If something snapped her fingers she was slapping him – injured or no. As her hand drew nearer, the tips of each stalk seemed to home in on her hand and bend towards it. She retracted her hand for a second out of surprise, but was too curious not to reach out again, this time a little further. When she came in contact with the tip of one of the red stalks it suddenly bloomed into life, opening to reveal a gorgeous crimson flower with delicate, teardrop-shaped petals.

"'S beautiful," she breathed, running her hand across the tips of the other stalks, revealing their hidden treasure one by one as if by magic. She laughed softly. "So beautiful."

The Doctor hummed happily, experiencing this small moment through her reaction. "They react to even the smallest touch of heat on their tips, usually that of pollinating insects, opening when they come in contact with it."

The moment was interrupted as their attention was then drawn behind them by the sound of footsteps approaching on the path. The Doctor and Rose both stood and turned. Nahlia approached, having come to look for them to deliver an invitation from the King.

"Doctor, Rose," she greeted them both with a warm smile upon reaching them.

"Hi," Rose replied.

"Oh, hello...Nahlia, was it?" the Doctor asked, recognizing the voice.

"Yes, that's right."

"Nice to see you again. Well, I say _see_, but considering my current limitation, I suppose the more accurate phrasing would be _hear_." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Though I can smell you, too."

Rose grimaced and discreetly poked him in the side. "He says things like that sometimes. Just...randomly insulting anyone and everyone. But he's harmless enough, I s'pose. He can't help it. Just ignore him."

The Doctor frowned and Nahlia just chuckled. "No offense taken, I assure you. Such cultural differences are to be expected."

Rose pressed her lips together to suppress a snicker while the Doctor frowned all the more. What had he done? He was simply conversing using accurate word choice, he inwardly reasoned.

"And are you both enjoying the garden?" Nahlia asked.

"Oh, yes!" Rose replied brightly. "It's so lovely here."

"Indeed," she agreed. "The garden is one of my favorite places to spend time. In my younger days it was once even larger, but an incursion on the eastern side of the wall during an attack many years back destroyed a large portion of what was once here."

"That is a pity," the Doctor remarked, his tone then becoming a distant and haunted murmur. "The devastations of war..." He pulled himself back out of darker thoughts. "And how long have you been in the King's service, Nahlia?" he asked, always interested in those around him, be they Kings or servants – it made no difference to him.

"Oh, since long before King Zerin took the throne. I was born in the castle, my family from a long line of royal labor personal. My late husband was also in the servitude of the palace, peace be upon his soul."

"Is it...a choice?" Rose asked tentatively. The aged woman seemed quite content in her work and position, but then, so had the enslaved Ood.

"Oh, yes. Of course. And it is considered a great honor. It is not always an...easy position, depending upon the ruler; but this is my place in life and I would never wish to leave. My husband and I never had children of our own, but my fellow servers here are like my family. And never have I been as happy at the palace as I am under King Zerin. He is highly favored throughout Zobulan, and we are enjoying a rare time of peace."

"I'd like to meet this King Zerin," the Doctor remarked.

"And you shall," she answered with a nod. "Which brings me to the reason I have sought you. The King wishes to extend the invitation to dine with him tomorrow evening. You are both no doubt still recovering from the events of the previous day, but he hopes that by tomorrow you will both feel up to accepting."

"Oh, we'd love to," Rose assured her.

"Yes, I'm anxious to meet our gracious host," agreed the Doctor.

"Splendid. I will inform the King of your acceptance."

With that, she excused herself and left the Doctor and Rose to continue their stroll through the gardens.

"A harrowing crash one day to dining in the presence of Kings the next. Never let it be said your life with me is dull, Rose Tyler," the Doctor stated, mustering up a half-grin.

Rose linked her arm through his as they continued walking. "Trust me, Doctor. I would _never_ say that."

Despite his seemingly blithe exterior, Rose could see the tense set of his jaw return simply in mentioning the crash.

After a few quiet minutes of walking, she offered up a hesitant question. "Do you want to go check on the TARDIS?"

"No point," he replied dully. "She still has herself sealed off. I can feel it. It could be a day or more before it's safe for us to even go in again. I'll know when she's ready...in time."

"Time," Rose said simply, untwining their linked arms and sliding her hand down to find his, giving it a squeeze. "Time to recover. That's all you both need. Then everything's gonna be just fine again."

The Doctor's face was turned to the distant hills where the battered TARDIS lay somewhere beyond. "Yeah. Everything will be fine," he echoed back tonelessly, wishing he could have at least sounded as if he believed it.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N **The Doctor makes significant progress in his recovery. Now it's time to help the TARDIS do the same...

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 10<span>**

All things considered, the day had turned out to be an enjoyable one for the Doctor and Rose, which was no small gift considering the events of the previous. The Doctor had regained full consciousness, they had experienced the pleasure of a relaxing bath...together (and _that_ was something both found themselves inadvertently reflecting upon more than once throughout the day), had spent an enjoyable time in the gardens well into the afternoon, and had even ventured out for just a bit into the nearby town later that day. Although that had not been the most comfortable of experiences. While the people didn't crowd them and maintained a respectful distance, it was clear the Doctor and Rose were the objects of curiosity and drew many stares and murmurs. These two foreign travelers didn't exactly blend in. But all around, it had still been as pleasant a day as it could have been under the circumstances.

Once it was time to turn in for bed that night, both had a moment of inward uncertainty about their continued shared sleeping arrangement and the possible awkwardness that could crop up, but then both realized the awkwardness just didn't seem to be there – at least not on the level that it could have been. After their shared bathing experience, this hardly compared. And aside from that, neither one particularly wanted to have any separation either, as both were still serving to keep the other grounded and reassured at a time when they were assured of little else, other than having each other.

Rose did change for the night in the privacy of the bathing chamber, though. They might have reached a newer level of ease, but stripping down in front of the Doctor was still not something either could take in casual stride. _'Though maybe someday that could change...,_' came the wayward thought flitting through Rose's mind as she'd slipped on the nightgown she had selected. Rose then quickly realized she needed to harness such thoughts, or else sleeping beside the Doctor might result in a very tense and very frustrating _lack_ of sleep.

Speaking of sleep, when she re-emerged back into the bedchamber, Rose found that the Doctor (who had presumably stripped back down to just his boxers as she had changed, but she was _not_ allowing herself to dwell too dangerously long on that thought), was already in bed and appeared to have drifted deeply into sleep. A soft smile crossed her face at the rare sight. He still had some healing to do, and as Rose slipped quietly into bed beside him, she hoped that submitting to his body's rare need for restorative sleep would continue to speed the process of his recovery.

Turning on her side as she nestled beneath the covers, Rose gave one more lingering look at the Doctor's relaxed face in the dim glow of moonlight before allowing her own eyes to drift shut, reassuring herself that things would continue to get better from here. Surely they had made it through the worst.

-:-:-:-

When Rose blinked awake the next morning, it took a few seconds to realize that what she was seeing wasn't just a dream. If it _was_ a dream, then it was a dream come true. She was met by the glorious sight of the Doctor's eyes on hers – his gorgeous deep brown eyes, still reddened but very much open and very much focused on her. He was smiling – a genuine joyous smile, and not just with the upward curve of his lips; his eyes were a reflection of that smile. The Doctor was fully dressed in his suit, propped on his side next to her on the bed and staring down at her face. Before Rose even had a chance to speak, he characteristically beat her to it.

"Did you know," he began matter-of-factly, "that your eyes twitched a total of 537 times during your final REM cycle? That's a new record for you."

Rose blinked up at him, mouth agape, then after a beat launched herself up, overbalancing him over onto his back as her arms came around him in a crushing hug. "You can see again!" she cried joyfully.

"'Course I can. I told you – superior biology, me. Just needed a bit of recuperation. And sleep...apparently. Odd, that – actually needing it. How you humans cope with needing it night after night for eight hours at a time is beyond me. Must get awfully boring. Although...I suppose it isn't _entirely_ unpleasant, now and then." He grinned up at her giddily from his position below, momentarily feeling nothing but pure happiness with his delightful armful and eyeful of Rose.

"Oh, Doctor, you can see!" she repeated ecstatically. The size of her grin nearly rivaled his own, but it slowly retracted as Rose registered that she was sprawled atop him on the bed, her arms around his shoulders and one leg slung over his waist. And if her precariously-positioned right knee moved just a few critical inches lower...

Rose cleared her throat and gingerly slid back off him. They both sat up, and Rose's mind then began to process the second revelation the Doctor had just given. "And you've been..._counting_ how many times my eyes twitch while I slept?" she queried, pondering this little tidbit of info.

He paused before answering. "Well, I have to do _something_ to pass the time while you're just...lying there," he reasoned. "You humans and that excessive need for sleep..."

Rose might have just let it go at that if she hadn't caught on to something else rather revealing in his first statement. "And you also said it was a new record. How exactly would you know...?"

He shifted his legs a little, sitting cross-legged and affecting (what he hoped was) a casual pose as he waved one hand breezily. "Like I said...your excessive need for sleep. I sometimes have to find...well...something to occupy the time while you're sleeping half your life away on the TARDIS, too."

_There_, he thought. That was a perfectly reasonable answer that didn't sound stalkerish, voyeuristic or otherwise wholly inappropriate. Wasn't it? Now if Rose would just let this drop.

She wasn't letting it drop. "You...watch me while I sleep?" she reaffirmed while gaping back, though she didn't find the revelation creepy, but something quite the opposite.

He tugged a little at the collar of his shirt, then tugged on his ear. His hand went to the back of his head and Rose suspected he was tugging on his hair. Apparently she'd set him off on a tangent of tugging.

"No. Um, yes. Well...not _all_ the time. That is to say...there have been...I suppose...a _few_ occasions when I've...well..." _Rassilon_! Oh, this was going brilliantly. The Doctor cleared his throat and reattempted to form a coherent sentence. "There was...just one time in particular when you'd recently lost your face to an energy-sucking entity, and I needed to take a second look later on just to be sure everything was still back in order and where it was supposed to be. Wouldn't want your nose to have ended up on top of your head, or your ears to be on your chin. Now that, _that_ can get cumbersome! Just ask the Slurians..."

Rose grinned brightly, the tip of her tongue making an appearance. "You come at night to check on me." She was suddenly feeling just slightly light-headed from giddiness.

The Doctor was feeling a little light-headed too, from Big Mouth Syndrome. Why couldn't he ever keep his gob in check? Rose wasn't going to let him soon forget this. "You are one of the most jeopardy-friendly companions I have ever had," he accused, voice rising in pitch as he tried to cover his actions. "If ever anyone needed checking on, even in sleep–"

"Thank you," she cut him off with simple gratitude. Rose decided she wasn't going to tease him or try to make his actions into something more than he was comfortable admitting (because he clearly wasn't). Those simple words conveyed her feelings appropriately enough.

The Doctor almost replied '_anytime_,' but this time managed to keep his mouth from getting away from him. Instead he quickly shifted gears, jumping off the bed with a bounce. "Well, it's about time you finally woke up because we have work to do today."

He walked over to the center window and gazed out, seeing for himself the rolling landscape Rose had painted in his mind the day before. He turned back towards her, and any trace of the lighter mood that had been between them changed like the flipping of a switch as his voice took on a dark tone. "It's time to go to the TARDIS."

Rose slipped out of the bed and stood, noting how his eyes flicked briefly down the elegant white nightgown she wore, and Rose thought it was probably a good thing she had opted to sleep in this rather than just her underwear like that first night. Getting out of bed in _that_ state could have made things just a little awkward.

"We can get inside her now?" Rose questioned, her voice hopeful.

"She's safe enough to enter," he answered somberly. "I need to go now and see just how extensive the damage is."

"Are you sure you're well enough just yet?" Rose asked, noting his still bloodshot eyes and wondering if he could withstand the full glare of sunlight this soon. "Your eyes have only just recovered enough to see again. You don't want to push it. One more day isn't going to–"

"I am _not_ spending one more useless day doing nothing while the TARDIS needs critical repairs," he nearly snapped, his voice rising.

Rose replied calmly, realizing his anger wasn't really intended to be directed at her. "Recovery isn't useless. It's necessary. And I just want to be sure you're alright."

The tense set of his jaw relaxed marginally but he wasn't backing down on his insistence. "I know. And I appreciate your concern, Rose. I do. But I'll be alright only once the TARDIS is functional again, and that can't happen with me just sitting here."

Rose studied him for a second as she considered his words, then nodded. She wasn't going to get anywhere opposing him, and they worked best when they were working together, not oppositely. "Well, we best get started then."

-:-:-:-

Rose decided it was best to forgo one of the elegant dresses she had been given to wear in favor of slipping back into the jeans, T-shirt and jacket she had arrived in, which had now been cleaned. She would save the frills for their dinner with King Zerin that evening. For now, this was much more practical.

The TARDIS wasn't too far away, just about a mile over the hill beyond the castle, and the Doctor and Rose were both itching to get their feet moving again, so they happily walked the distance to the ship, turning down the offer of a royal escort. Rose was relieved that the Doctor's eyes seemed to be adjusting to the outside light without difficulty, and he appreciatively took in their surroundings as they went, now able to see for himself the landscape of Zobulan and the outskirts of the town he had missed seeing on their arrival and during their outing the previous day. Although this time they took a less populated side route to avoid a throng of onlookers who might gather to watch the 'mysterious travelers' pass by.

The dark mood the Doctor had slipped into before setting out had dissipated during their pleasant trek as he took in the surrounding sights, but it was as if a cloud passed over his face as soon as the TARDIS came into view in the field beyond. It stood stoic and alone. Though initially gaining notice in arrival, the TARDIS' resting place didn't seem to attract the attention of curiosity seekers; but then, somehow this peculiar ship never did, no matter the planet or time period or even when materializing in plain sight. It was just another marvel of this rare time-ship, even now in its debilitated state.

The amiable chatting between the Doctor and Rose instantly halted and their steady pace slowed as his eyes fixed on the TARDIS. From the outside it looked the same as ever to Rose, but she could see by the Doctor's face that what lay beyond the doors of the TARDIS was as painful to him as it was to the ship.

He approached slowly and placed a hand on the blue exterior, his eyes briefly closing. The Doctor had felt pain in regards to the TARDIS before when he thought it was lost to him on Krop Tor, but this pain was altogether different. This wasn't the mournful ache of separation; this was the raw, shredding pain of a brutal wound.

Rose came up beside him and gently touched the other side. "She's hurting," she murmured softly. Rose could sense it too, just a touch.

The TARDIS was a constant presence in a part of her mind, as she had learned on her very first trip with the Doctor when he described how alien languages she heard spoken were translated. '_It's a gift of the TARDIS. Telepathic field, gets inside your brain – translates_,' she could hear his Northern brogue explaining. But it went beyond that now. In a pivotal moment of Time she had become one with the very heart of the ship. Rose had looked into the TARDIS, and the TARDIS had looked into her. For a moment of Time, Rose beheld things so immense that she wasn't even allowed to remember them all. There remained still a connection on some deeper level, and Rose now felt a trace of the ship's pain.

It was a fraction of the pain the Doctor had shared acutely since regaining consciousness. It had dulled from the initial agony, but as he pressed his hand to the worn exterior the pain radiated through him more intensely. The Doctor could do little more than nod in reply to Rose's statement. He lowered his hand and then slowly, carefully opened the door.

Rose cautiously followed in behind him. She had once seen the TARDIS in a state the Doctor had described as 'dead' when they had fallen into a parallel universe; but though it was now still clinging to life, never had she seen the TARDIS quite like this. This wasn't a sudden and painless death. This was prolonged agony.

The interior was charred, the harsh scent of lingering smoke burning their nostrils upon entry. A weak glow from the Time Rotor was the only remaining sign of life. A sound almost like a deep, agonized groan emanated from the core as the Doctor moved closer. He placed his hand on the central column, the shared pain again visible on his face. "I'm here," he whispered, both with his voice and with his mind, though the audible words were strained.

The burned interior wasn't the only drastic change to the inner appearance. The size of the ship that was bigger on the inside had diminished drastically. The characteristically lofty ceiling was now just barely tall enough to accommodate the Time Rotor, which itself seemed to have compressed in size. The console room had not only closed inward in size, but it seemed to be the _only_ room, all corridors leading out from it gone.

Rose wanted to ask about this but wasn't quite sure what to say. '_What happened'_ didn't seem like an appropriate question considering her vivid knowledge of what they had come through. Obviously the ship was in dire straits.

She didn't need to ask though, because the Doctor had already noticed her surveying the ship with a look of concerned perplexity and answered her unspoken question.

"She's had to funnel all of her effort into maintaining this room, so all other non-critical space has been compacted. That, and the dimensional stabilizers, which among other things are what gives a TARDIS its size, are weak right now. Which also means she can't cross three-dimensional barriers to travel the Vortex," he murmured, his hand still resting on the central column.

He peered around, carefully examining the console and shook his head. "The time vector generator is also severely damaged, and if it remains that way for too long then..." His words trailed off at the end, not even wanting to finish that thought. He slowly shook his head again as he stooped down and gingerly inspected beneath the console. "If it's repaired, the TARDIS can expand again, but without careful assistance the internal configurations can become scrambled. There's no spare time vector generator, and one can't be constructed in a practical amount of time, either." He stood back up, scrubbing a hand down his jaw. "And adapting the emergency one used in the tertiary control room is impossible."

Rose didn't need to understand his technical words to know this wasn't at all good. She also knew she had never once seen the Doctor give up. And though dismal, he wasn't going to give in now.

"Well, it sounds like we've got our work cut out for us then, yeah?" she said in a determined tone.

The Doctor's grim expression hardened to one of resolve. He nodded. "And as they say, no time like the present." He unbuttoned his jacket, shrugged it off and tossed it aside, then began rolling up his sleeves.

He wasn't giving up on his ship, and he was not going to confine Rose to a life on the planet Zobulan. They might be enjoying privileged accommodations at the moment, but he certainly had no plans for permanence.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N** Another key character is introduced and a bit more of the plot is revealed. Yep, it's gonna get sticky.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 11<span>**

The Doctor and Rose worked together on the ailing TARDIS until the afternoon light began to fade outside. Rose remembered their invitation to dine with the King and reminded the Doctor of their commitment. Though the Doctor had been curious to meet King Zerin, he was also reluctant to leave his work on the TARDIS. But in light of the considerable hospitality they had been shown, keeping the accepted invitation was the least they could do, Rose reasoned to him. The Doctor agreed, but he told Rose to head back first to get ready and he would meet her there after he had completed just a little more work, wanting to continue for as long as possible.

Rose returned to their chamber in the castle, and after cleaning up, prepared to change into something more suitable for their evening affair. She stood in a dressing gown in front of the wardrobe, contemplating which dress to choose when there was a knock at the door.

Rose opened it and was greeted by Nahlia who had come not only to assist her in getting ready, but had brought another gown for Rose to wear specifically for the occasion. She assisted Rose with her hair, styling the blonde tresses in elegant ringlets swept up atop her head and accented with a shimmering crimson ribbon interwoven throughout the elaborate coiffure. She then helped Rose into the lavish deep crimson gown, the lush material similar to crushed velvet. The low-cut, off-the-shoulder neckline was trimmed in a scalloped gold cording, and at the back, gilded crisscross laces extended down the center to her waist. A golden sash accented the form-fitted waist, and matching cording wove around the center of each sleeve, the long bell sleeves then fanning out elegantly at the ends. The full skirt with its drapes of sumptuous fabric then extended in a flowing train about three feet in length.

Rose stood in front of the room's mirror, gazing at her regal reflection. "Blimey, I feel almost like a Queen," she remarked.

"And as well you should," Nahlia replied with a significant look and slight smile. "You are indeed lovely."

The door to the chamber then opened behind them as the Doctor returned and stepped in, his agitated voice filling the room without preamble.

"The dimensional stabilizers are even worse than I thought. They've suffered synaptic adhesion!" he practically bellowed, tugging at his hair with a growl as he paced the room. "I'm going to have to re-route the gravimetric anomalisor because the main stabilizer is fused. Either that or construct a primitive RDS out of the drive circuits. But then I'd have to attempt to deactivate all drive circuits, reverse the polarity of the main warp feeds, regrade the deoscillation digretic synthesizers by minus ten points, realign the maxivectormeter on drags so they cross connect with the radia-bicentric anodes, and..."

His rant came to a sudden stop as Nahlia stepped aside from Rose and he set eyes on her for the first time since coming in. He just stared, mouth noticeably slack. His wide eyes slowly traversed down her elegant form, lingering on her accentuated curves, before coming back up and reaching her face again. He swallowed visibly.

Nahlia moved towards the door, offering both a smile. "Well, I think my work here is done. Now if you will excuse me. There will be escorts waiting at your door shortly to usher you to the dining hall."

"Thank you," Rose replied distractedly, her eyes still locked on the Doctor's. She couldn't help it. She was mesmerized by a look in those dark brown orbs she had never quite seen. If she was able to elicit such a look dressed this way, she briefly wondered of the look she would have been privy to if he had been able to see during their shared bath.

The Doctor's thoughts of what he too might have seen were following a similar path...

The intense look passed though, the Doctor managing to snap himself back to the realm of capable speech. But just because he was capable of speech didn't mean it was going to be brilliant. "You...you've changed clothes, I see."

A very slow smile crept across her face. Rose glanced down at herself, then back up at the Doctor through lowered lashes. "What, this?" she asked coquettishly. She bit her bottom lip and swayed just a little bit closer. That look in the Doctor's eyes had made her feel just a bit daring as she lowered her voice, her words coming out smooth and silky. "You like it, then?"

The Doctor's eyes, which had strayed somewhere in the definite vicinity of her low neckline, snapped back up to hers. He blew out a stream of air past his lips. "Ohhh, I'm just..._very_ much appreciating having my eyesight back." His eyes widened slightly at having said that out loud and in such a...deep voice. He cleared his throat. "That is...I'm able to appreciate the contrast of colors and textures." His gaze started roaming again as he elaborated. "The rich, deep velvet against your smooth, ivory skin..." His voice dropped low, and Rose's ivory skin was taking on a pink blush. "The visual effect is...gorgeous."

Before Rose could even attempt to form a reply, the Doctor suddenly reverted to science mode and effectively killed, well, _whatever_ it was that had seemed to be developing. He seemed to have a knack for doing that at crucial moments, she realized. Irritating, that.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "The visual perception of color alone is a fascinating thing. Why, did you know that the absorption spectra of the blue, green and red cones in the retinas overlap, and the perception of intermediate hues results from differential activation of more than one type of cone at the same time? For instance, yellow light stimulates both red and green cone receptors, but if the red cones are stimulated more strongly than the green cones, one sees orange instead of yellow. And when all cones are stimulated equally, we see white. Isn't that brilliant!"

"Fascinating," Rose replied dryly. "To give a real treat to your retinas, I'll have to wear a neon, tie-dyed T-shirt sometime."

"Ooh, that reminds me of a coat I once had..." The Doctor's voice trailed off, lost in reminiscing thought as Rose rolled her eyes.

Rose gave his own appearance a once-over and noticed that despite the TARDIS repairs he had been engaged in all day, the Doctor still somehow managed to look clean and fresh in his brown pinstripes, light blue Oxford and swirly tie. It must be a special alien ability. However he managed it, at least he appeared to be ready.

"You all set then?" she asked, gathering up her flowing skirt and draping the train over one arm to make walking a little more doable. Gorgeous as the gown was, it wasn't very practical. Rose just hoped she wouldn't have to run.

The Doctor nodded and extended his arm to her in gallant fashion, still spellbound by his companion's beauty, even though he'd managed to subdue his reaction. Gaping all night would hardly be appropriate, no matter how visually stimulating. "May I accompany you to the royal dining hall, Dame Rose?"

Rose took his arm, her own voice prim and proper. "You may, Sir Doctor."

Their dignified expressions split into grins, wide and silly as they stepped out the door together. They were met in the hall by two royal escorts assigned to accompany them.

"Oh, hello! I'm the Doctor and this is Rose. You two lads must be our official escorts, tour guides, and otherwise royal entourage to make us feel spectacularly grandiose. Not that I usually _need_ an extra reason to feel that way, mind you, with me being...well..._me_. But still..."

The two men simply bowed their heads in a respectful nod.

"Talkative pair," the Doctor leaned into Rose and murmured.

"Maybe they _would_ be if you'd give 'em half a chance," she quietly replied back with a smirk.

He shrugged. "Someone has to lead the conversation. Well then...off we go! Dinner awaits!"

Following their escorts, the Doctor and Rose made their way through the winding stone corridors of the castle and down a series of steps until they reached the dining hall, located in the south wing on the lowest floor of the palace. As expected, it was a sizable space. A large, three-tiered candle-lit chandelier hung from the lofty wood-beamed ceiling. It was centered over the long, stately dark wood table, the place settings made of the finest silver. Though the table appeared massive enough to accommodate at least a hundred or more, the places at the near end of the table were set for just seven – three on each side with the King's place reserved at the head.

The guests were just beginning to assemble as they awaited the arrival of King Zerin, but upon entering, Rose had already caught the intense focus of one older man in particular whose status placed him in the position to persuade the decisions of the King, and his mind was already set on what that decision should be.

The Doctor and Rose were both seated on the left. Beside Rose sat Shadarra, who herself wore an elegant gown in a similar off-the-shoulder style as Rose's, though of a satiny material in a shade of periwinkle that complimented her unique porcelain tones. The two exchanged pleasantries and the Doctor also introduced himself. The aged man along with an older woman, both of whom the Doctor and Rose had not previously met, sat across from them, the man's focus still fixed on Rose. Like Shadarra, the couple appeared to be of the Jezrian descent, their regal appearance suggesting a position of influence.

Though not much was said beyond hello, Rose couldn't help but notice the way the man in particular seemed to look at her, almost as if she was being studied. The Doctor didn't seem to notice this as he took in the architecture of the grand room. Rose purposely broke eye contact with the older man and began a trivial conversation with the Doctor just to ease the tension she was feeling beneath the man's stare. Beside the aged couple sat another man in imperial military attire who Rose recognized as being with the King the day she and the Doctor were first taken to the castle. He was the one who rode ahead to alert the King's physician to be on standby.

Within a few minutes of being seated, the King's arrival was announced by a royal officer standing in position at the entrance to the dining hall.

"_His Majesty, King Zerin of Zobulan. All rise in honor of the King."_

Everyone at the table did as directed, heads bowing slightly as the King approached and took his place at the head of the table, the Doctor and Rose following the custom of the others.

King Zerin's gaze lingered for a moment on Rose. Not as noticeably-long as the Doctor's had, but still... Any man could see how exceptionally lovely she looked this evening. The Doctor just happened to develop a tickle in his throat at that moment and simply had to clear it. Zerin's eyes then fell to Shadarra, a warm smile coming to his face as their eyes met.

"Be seated, please," he bid them all with a smile and a downward gesture of his hands. The formal atmosphere seemed to relax after that as the royal attendants then began serving the meal. A large roasted fowl was carved and served along with a variety of steaming root vegetables and warm, fresh bread, and a few other soufflé-type dishes Rose couldn't quite equate with anything familiar, but a reassuring nod from the Doctor gave her the courage to accept a few on her plate none the less, despite the bright blue color of one of the dishes.

"Doctor," Zerin began as the King addressed him individually for the first time, "I am very glad to see you are recovering so quickly, and I am also glad to finally have the opportunity to meet you properly. I understand it was your act of selfless courage that saved your friend, Rose."

Rose cast a glance at the Doctor and could see guilt flash over his features in regards to the crash. He certainly didn't see his actions as praiseworthy. "That's right, he did," Rose interjected with sureness.

The Doctor smiled politely to the King in return as he replied only in regards to his condition, purposely glossing over the rest. "Well, I've always been quick to recover, me. And I'm very glad to be meeting you as well. Thank you very much for the hospitality you've shown to me and Rose in our...unfortunate circumstances."

"Think nothing of it." Zerin's gaze briefly lingered again on Rose. "You are both most welcome here for as long as you wish to stay. Now, allow me to make introductions. Rose, you have already met Lady Shadarra, I understand." Rose turned towards her, smiled and nodded.

The Doctor leaned over. "Oh yes, we've just met, too. Hello again!"

Shadarra smiled politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Zerin gestured across the table from them to the man on his immediate right. "And this is my First in Command, Amron." The man nodded to them both. "Beside him is Eilam, honored Elder and Advisor to the kingdom. And his wife, the Lady Shaleah."

The Doctor and Rose exchanged hellos with the three across from them once again.

"So, Elder and Advisor," the Doctor began as the meal commenced, curious to learn more about the structure of Zobulan's Royal Regime. "Is that a role appointed with each new monarch, or is it a continuing position?"

"Elders are not appointed," Eilam explained, his voice strong and commanding despite his age. "We are of a single bloodline, the position one of inheritance. The succession of Elders from the same house of Zobulan has continued for generations, our counsel undisputed, regardless of which side of the kingdom has taken the throne. Though tracing back to Jezrian origins, Elders have long since proven to have only the good of Zobulan as a whole at heart, never choosing one side over the other. To have someone who possesses this rare impartiality serving as Advisor is invaluable for any Ruler. I myself have stood as Advisor to the past four Kings of Zobulan."

The Doctor lifted a brow. "You've had quite the longevity in your position."

He nodded. "Indeed. And often our Rulers do not. Despite an Elder's wisdom, the hearts of a divided people bent on conquering the other is not something that can easily be dissuaded, though Elders throughout history have always encouraged the road of peace whenever possible."

Rose looked to Zerin. "And...how long have you been on the throne?" she questioned, knowing Shadarra's uncle had fairly recently proceeded him.

"My reign began not quite three years past. But unlike so many before me, my ascent to the throne was without bloodshed. I am of the Royal line of Krendor, my grandfather having preceded the previous King. But despite my Krendorian lineage, I have also found rare favor among the Jezrians, even before taking the throne. Serving as the Krendorian's Chief military officer, I sought to bring peace to both sides and end the prolonged fighting that had been taking place on the fields of Shaldon. I negotiated a rare treaty of peace and earned the trust of Zobulan's former King, Kezra, and with it the trust of the Jezrians. And with his passing in old age, which left no child as heir, my subsequent reign was undisputed."

"Well, it sounds like the fighting is over for the people of Zobulan, then," Rose noted with optimism.

Zerin smiled wanly. "I wish it were true. But Zobulan has known periods of peace in the past. Even if a Ruler is favored by both peoples, it is a peace that never lasts, particularly once an heir is produced." There was a pause of silence before continuing. "If I were to marry a woman from among my own people, signifying the continuation of a purely Krendorian monarchy, the unrest would begin. And the day a first born child was brought into the kingdom is the day the fighting would resume in earnest. The Jezrians might accept me for the time being, but they would not accept the continuation of a fully Krendorian rule. And such would be the case with a Jezrian kingdom, and so on. It never ends. The heart of the fighting has always been over which side will possess the throne."

The Doctor swallowed the bite of food he had been thoughtfully chewing. "Why?" he questioned. "Why such animosity between the two races to begin with?"

"That traces back to ancient times," Eilam spoke up. "The people from the plains of Jezria first sought to rise up as the dominant race and put the Krendorians beneath them. The Krendorians eventually revolted against their oppression, seeking their own possession of the throne."

"The two have sought to suppress the other and take rule throughout Zobulan's history," Amron added matter-of-factly, his tone revealing that fighting was almost a way of life for the two races. "The discord has only grown throughout the generations as more battles are fought and more blood is shed."

Rose looked between Zerin and Shadarra, two from the opposing races who obviously resided in mutual peace and respect. And now that she'd actually had a chance to see the two of them together, noting their demeanor and the glances exchanged, Rose was beginning to see that maybe they held feelings for each other that went beyond simply friendship. If there was one thing Rose could recognize and identify with it was unspoken longing for someone else. But why would unfulfilled longing have to be the case for these two? she wondered, seeing what seemed to be an obvious solution in all this.

"What if a Krendorian King were to marry a Jezrian?" Rose put forth curiously. "Wouldn't a royal line created between the two be accepted by _both_ peoples?"

The Doctor smiled proudly at her logic. Leave it to Rose to see a solution. Yet they learned it wasn't quite so straightforward. Zerin glanced briefly at Shadarra, then away. "If only it were that simple," he replied quietly.

Eilam's wife Shaleah spoke up and explained. "There have been rare instances of the two races marrying, though it is usually...kept quiet. But never has it occurred among a house of royalty. The two could never create a united lineage. It would result in nothing but a fruitless union."

Shadarra spoke then in a subdued voice, clarifying Shaleah's statement. "The Jezrians and Krendorians are incapable of reproducing together, which some have suggested is further proof that the two were always meant to be at odds." Her eyes flicked to Zerin before focusing down at the table. "A joint heir between the two would never be possible, and thus a union would do nothing to advance the kingdom for either side."

The Elder cleared his throat, taking a sip from his goblet before placing it back down. "There _will_ be lasting peace ushered in to Zobulan one day, however," Eilam stated, glancing significantly at Zerin. "One day soon."

"And you know this because...?" the Doctor questioned.

Amron shifted in his seat, seeming to grow uneasy with this line of conversation and abruptly cut in. "Your Majesty, if you will excuse me. I need to ready the men for their training excursion to the Tipron Valley at dawn. I really should return to them."

The King nodded in consent. "Very well."

Amron stood and bowed, then left the dining hall.

"As I was saying," Eilam continued, "throughout Zobulan it has long been foretold by tradition of old that the union between a highly favored King of Zobulan and a woman from a distant world, a woman neither Jezrian nor Krendorian who possessed great knowledge and insight through her familiarity with the kingdoms of many worlds, would bring about through such a marriage a _new_ race to sit upon the throne, favored and accepted in the eyes of all for generations to come. Through this new awaited lineage, enduring peace and stability would be ushered into the kingdom at last."

A startling thought briefly passed through Rose's mind, but she quickly dismissed it as insane. She was a south London shop girl from a council estate, for heaven's sake – although the Doctor had made her see that she was more than she had once given herself credit for. But still, she had to chuckle inwardly at the passing thought.

The Doctor didn't even entertain the possibility of a connection to Rose. Not realizing just how rare instances of outside visitors were to Zobulan, he overlooked what would soon become obvious in that statement, instead focusing cynically on the improbability of their belief that such a union could really bring peace. "So you're holding on to hopes of lasting peace based on...what? Some ancient legend?" the Doctor queried.

"As fanciful as it may seem to some, it is better to have a hope of lasting peace than none at all," Zerin replied solemnly.

Shadarra dipped her eyes before looking back to the King. She wanted nothing greater than lasting peace for this war-torn world. But that didn't mean it was painless for her knowing that the man she had inwardly come to love – despite the standards of their world – was now undoubtedly going to seek a union with another woman. She had suspected this was going to be the case the moment she learned of Rose's arrival. She tried to focus on the good for Zobulan alone and put aside her own personal feelings. It wasn't as if the dictates of the realm would have allowed her and Zerin to be anything more to each other, regardless of this woman now in their midst. But it was becoming clear to her what Eilam was going to urge Zerin to pursue, and right now she just wanted to distance herself from it all.

Shadarra spoke up. "Your Majesty, if you will excuse me as well. I'm...growing tired and would like to retire for the evening."

He immediately rose to his feet and extended his hand to her as she stood. "Yes, yes of course." His eyes met and held hers briefly before he gently released her hand. "My Lady."

She smiled back at him slightly, then took her leave from the room.

The Doctor and Rose finished their meal, answering some questions themselves about their origins and travels, but keeping some things vague simply because it would no doubt be difficult for those of Zobulan to understand the half of it. Even though these people were able to grasp the idea of travel to other worlds, travel through time was another matter entirely. It still had Rose a little confounded at times as it was.

Never the less, hearing even the edited version of the Doctor and Rose's enthralling travels convinced Eilam all the more that Rose was the one destined and suited to be Zobulan's fabled Queen.

-:-:-:-

Afterwards, everyone returned to their respective quarters, including Eilam's wife, but Zerin and Eilam remained longer to speak privately once all the others had gone.

Now alone, Eilam turned to the King, his aged eyes focusing sharply. "She is the one, Zerin. I am certain of it."

Zerin took a long sip from his goblet before answering. "I agree that it is certainly a high possibility, and one that I have been contemplating since their arrival. But how can you be so assured this soon?"

"How can you have any doubts?" the Elder retorted. "After what has been foretold...just think of it – she is unclaimed by another and traveling only with her physician, she arrived in such a way as for us to have seen it and been aware, and has arrived _now_ during your reign of favor – there is no question whatsoever."

Zerin leaned forward in contemplation, folding his hands and resting them on the table. "Even if this is the case, I still believe we should proceed gradually with this. There is no need to rush anything. She has only just arrived and is still adjusting. We don't even know how she would feel about something like this or her willingness to remain. If this is truly meant to be, then it will happen. True destiny is not something that should have to be forced or rushed."

"_No_, destiny is not something that should be treated with indifference and allowed to slip by," Eilam countered strongly.

"I have welcomed them into the very palace and offered to meet any and all needs. That is not indifference," Zerin answered.

"That is simply hospitality. No true action has been taken here." Eilam straightened and looked the young King squarely on. "Perhaps you have other reasons for hesitance? Have you allowed your heart to become divided?" Zerin's jaw tensed. "Perhaps it has been a mistake all along to allow Shadarra to reside at the palace. Do not think I have not seen how the two of you react in each other's presence. Is it possible your judgment has been–"

"Do _not_ bring Shadarra into this," Zerin quickly cut in. "My heart is, as it has always been, for the good of Zobulan alone, but I will not have you speak of displacing her. Not only is her position here as representative for the Jezrians a valuable one, but I gave my sacred word to the former King that she would continue to have sanctuary within the palace, and as a man of my word I _will_ uphold that until the day of my death."

The Elder paused, regarding the King carefully. "Just remember where your heart _does_ lie, Zerin. Do not forget that I also served your grandfather. As you well know, he was a man of blood-thirst, seeking only war and domination. His actions brought even more destruction to this realm and destruction upon himself because he did _not_ heed my council. Do not make that same mistake and shun my wisdom, because it is needed. You are inexperienced. You were not raised in the palace and your father never even held the throne."

"My father," Zerin cut in sharply, "is the reason I am on the throne today. I am fulfilling the promise I made to him the day he died in battle – the promise to end the bloodshed and take my place as Ruler in peace. Which I _have_, and I will continue to sustain that. This _is_ my commitment."

"Yes, you have brought a measure of peace and tolerance through your example," Eilam conceded, then narrowed his eyes. "But do not allow arrogance to take hold and deceive you into thinking that because you have found favor in the eyes of the people that your kingdom is now beyond the reach of demise. You have the potential for greatness beyond which any King has ever known. I can see that clearly, which is exactly why your full destiny must now be seized." He gave Zerin one last measuring look. "And _never_ forget that every Ruler of the past who foolishly disregarded the word of the Elders met with swift and total ruin."

With that he stood and left the room.

The sound of the Elder's footsteps faded. After a few minutes, Zerin stood and left as well, slipping out into the night to walk the eastern courtyard as the weight of the kingdom and the expectations of his reign pressed heavily on his shoulders.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N **Thank you again to everyone who is taking the time to let me know you're reading and enjoying. Some days have been a struggle to find the opportunity to update, but you're the ones keeping me going!

Enjoy the Doctor and Rose's moment of fun, as the next part will take a more ominous turn.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 12<span>**

Three days had passed since the Doctor had begun repairs to the TARDIS, and though he had worked tirelessly each day, he knew a majority of the repairing would come down to the TARDIS being able to heal on her own. There was only so much he could do. Yet despite its condition, his ship never ceased to amaze him. Though the inner dimensions were still reduced in order for all possible energy to be routed to repairing the control systems, the console room was no longer charred. The burned coral had already completed the process of healing itself after the first 48 hours. He could feel the TARDIS gaining strength, and that alone was a vast improvement over what he had felt from the ship initially. Despite the significant progress that had been made, though, the Doctor wouldn't rest or feel at ease until his ship was fully restored and functional.

Rose had helped right alongside the Doctor in every moment that she could, though he had now begun to work straight through the nights as well – if not in the TARDIS then on parts he had brought back with them to work on through the night in their shared chamber. If it weren't for her bringing him food and seeing that he ate, Rose suspected he wouldn't even be stopping for meals. She was noticing more and more how the Doctor seemed to be driving himself into the ground with the near-ceaseless repairs. Aside from barely sleeping these past three days (now that they were sharing a bed she was acutely aware of these things), he hardly took notice of anything anymore outside of his focus on the TARDIS. Rose wanted nothing more than for the ship to be operational again, too; but until that happened, she didn't want the Doctor to be so utterly miserable in the meantime. His usual spark and exuberance seemed to be dwindling, and she hated seeing him like this.

On the afternoon of the third day, Rose decided it was time to try and get his mind off the repairs for at least a little bit. It was a lovely, warm sunny day – a perfect time to take a much-needed break and simply enjoy their surroundings for a little while.

"Rose, will you hand me the gravimetric aligner?" the Doctor called out from beneath the console, speaking for the first time since he had disappeared beneath it at least a half-hour before.

She retrieved the tool (something she thought looked rather similar to a sonic wrench) and moved closer, stooping down. Now was her chance. "What are you willing to do to get it?" she replied back with a grin, her voice taking on a playful note.

That unexpected reply was enough to get his attention. He pulled himself out and sat up, staring back at her in puzzlement. "What?"

Rose held the requested device in her hands, shifting it casually between her palms. "I said...what are you willing to do to get it? 'Cause I think you should have to earn it."

Ordinarily he would have played along and quipped right back, but at the moment he wasn't exactly in the mood. His eyes narrowed and his voice was impatient. "Rose, whatever you're playing at, this isn't the time. I have to–"

"This _is_ the time." She bounced up from her kneeling position and took a step back. "It's time that you took a break, because you've been buried in repairs for days, hardly even taking time to breathe." Rose walked towards the doors of the TARDIS and looked outside. "Have you even noticed what a gorgeous day it is today?"

The Doctor stood and took a step towards her. "No, actually, I haven't noticed because gorgeous as their days may be, I'm _trying_ to get us off this planet so we won't be stuck here for the rest of our lives," he answered tersely.

Rose turned back to him. "And you will," she answered simply. "But that doesn't mean you have to drive yourself to exhaustion along the way." He started to speak out but she held up her hand and cut him off. "And don't even _start_ on your 'superior Time Lord physiology that doesn't ever get tired,' rubbish. Even Time Lords have a breaking point, and if you don't give yourself a little rest soon you're going to reach it."

The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "And what exactly do you want me to do, hmm? Go back to the palace, lie down and let servants feed me grapes? Pretend this is all just a holiday? Get in bed and sleep away an entire eight hours like you?"

She wasn't going to be baited by that last line. It was just a diversionary tactic, anyway. Irritate her enough and she'd leave him alone. Not likely.

"If that's what you'd like to do then fine," Rose answered with a casual shrug. "But actually, all I had in mind to do was take a walk."

"A walk?" he repeated flatly, lacking all enthusiasm.

"A walk. A fun, leisurely walk just to take a break from things for a little while. We haven't even seen any of the hillside apart from the path we take to and from the castle. Why don't we explore a little? See what there is to see? That's what we do, isn't it – aside from finding trouble and occasionally running for our lives," she added with a grin. "And then in an hour or two's time we can come back and start working again. And so in the end we'd be an hour or two later leaving this planet. Is that really so unthinkable?"

The Doctor was fully prepared to continue arguing the point, but when he actually considered her suggestion he realized it wasn't such a monumental request. Maybe it would actually do them both some good to take a breather. Though he had not requested it of her, Rose had spent days on end in here too, working alongside him. She, at least, deserved a break, but wouldn't take it if he didn't give himself the same.

"Okay."

Rose stared at him for a second. "Seriously? Just like that? You actually agreed that quickly without making a bigger argument? The stubborn, Oncoming Quarrel..."

He arched an eyebrow. "Do you _want_ me to continue arguing? Because if it would make you happy I ca–"

Rose lifted her hands and shook her head. "No, no. Forget I said anything. Let's just back up to where you actually said okay."

He ambled towards her, hands in his pockets. "But just remember our deal. We take this merry jaunt of yours, and _then_ you give me back my gravimetric aligner."

Rose grinned back at him, tucking the small device in her pocket. "Deal."

The Doctor and Rose stepped out of the TARDIS together and into the warm sun, filling their lungs with a fresh breath of air. Without over deliberating it, they simply headed in the direction of a clearing amidst the golden trees off to their right with what appeared to be a path leading through that area of forest, a direction they'd yet to travel in. Rose wouldn't have minded exploring in the city a little more too, but there seemed to be a hushed chatter among the people whenever she and the Doctor would pass through, and she couldn't help but feel like they were curious outsiders at the center of the town's gossip.

They meandered along the scenic shaded path, bright rays of sunlight cutting through the thick canopy of trees. They enjoyed the sights and sounds of the surrounding nature, the call of birds and chirping of insects providing a tranquil soundtrack to their trek as they stopped now and then to get a closer look at whatever caught their eye along the way.

Rose heard a rustling of something in the brush up ahead and moved closer to get a look.

"Oh, you're _adorable_," she cooed, crouching down. "Doctor, come look at this," she called softly.

He lowered the sonic screwdriver from the plant specimen he'd been scanning. He stuck the sprig of interest into his bottomless coat pocket, filing it away for later inspection as he moved to where Rose was.

"Oh, hello. What have we here?" He knelt next to Rose, observing the small creature sitting in a clearing of brush, but keeping a far enough distance so as not to disturb it.

It was the size a little smaller than a domestic cat, but with coloring and a face almost similar to a panda. It sat up on its hind legs, nibbling on a branch of berries held between its paws. The Doctor leaned in just a little closer, and suddenly it spread wings from its back and flew up to perch on the Doctor's head, continuing to eat its snack from the new location.

Rose nearly fell over laughing at the sight. "I think you've found a new friend!"

The Doctor frowned, then lifted his eyes high in an attempt to see the creature that had taken up residence in his hair. "Now, now. Let's not get _overly_ friendly here. We haven't even exchanged names."

With a sound somewhat like a cry, the small creature took flight again and disappeared into the treetops.

"Well now you've chased it off by being rude," Rose teased.

"_I_ was being rude? I wasn't the one using someone's frankly _magnificent_ hair as a...a dinner table." The Doctor stood up, brushing bits of berries from his hair. "_Was_ magnificent, anyway," he grumbled.

Rose took his hand, swinging it between them as they continued to walk again. "It's still magnificent," she assured him, glancing at his hair that was now sticking up just a little higher than usual with some berry bits still clinging to a few strands.

The Doctor stopped and glanced down at her. He stood a little taller and preened, a grin stretching his face. "You really think so?"

The Doctor and his vanity. She grinned back at him then, the tip of her tongue peeking out. "Berry much!"

The grin fell from his face as he shook his head. "Oh, don't do that. No, don't. Don't. That was so not funny, Rose Tyler."

She giggled. "It _so_ was."

"So was _not_."

She skipped on ahead. "So _was_!"

Rose came to a quick stop as she emerged from the golden clearing of trees into a new set of surroundings. She quickly turned back to the Doctor who was casually ambling towards her. "Oh, come look at this!" she motioned.

"Is my hair going to be in danger this time if I do?" he called.

He stepped out into the clearing to join her and they both gazed at the scenery in front of them. A small crystal clear lake sat nestled amongst the surrounding forest, a gilded glint from the golden-leafed trees reflecting off the glistening surface. A bubbling brook from an upper level of ground spilled over its rocky edge and cascaded down into the fresh water pool below, the tranquil sound of the flowing water beckoning them closer.

Rose walked to the water's edge and dipped her hand in. It was such a warm day, and she was already a little heated from their walk. Feeling the cool, refreshing water made her want to plunge in. Rose turned back to the Doctor.

"What'd you say we go for a swim?"

He raised his brows. "What...right now?"

She shrugged. "Why not? It's a perfect day for it, and the water feels lovely."

"And what do you propose we swim _in_? My pockets hold a great many things that would no doubt completely and utterly astound you if I were to begin emptying them, and would also no doubt take a few days just to complete the task, but what I _don't_ happen to have on me at the moment is a bikini for you." He paused thoughtfully as he murmured, "Pity, that." He cleared his throat and briefly glanced away.

Rose grinned slowly, her hands creeping to the hem of her shirt. She'd been wanting to snap the Doctor out of his glum mood, and while the walk had helped, this just might go the extra mile in successfully taking his mind off other things.

"Who says I need a bikini? I do have a _little_ something on beneath these clothes." Without overthinking it to the point where she'd undoubtedly lose her nerve, Rose whipped off her shirt, and stood clad only in her jeans and bra.

The Doctor stood frozen and gaping for several seconds before he snapped his eyes away to look somewhere just over her shoulder, somewhere much _safer_, and started babbling at an impressive speed, even for him. "Yes, well...that is a _little_ something, isn't it? Mind you, women's undergarments are usually...well...small. Just enough to cover the necessary...bits. Now on Sareko, it's a bit different. The women's...underthings stretch from their necks to their feet – all four of them. 'Course, they have more...um...bits to cover. Not that I would know. Well, obviously I do know. But not from first-hand knowledge. More like third-person hearsay from a Blooshian merchant. Talkative fellow, he was."

Rose used his mile-a-minute babbling to shimmy out of her jeans. By the time he stopped for a breath and cut his eyes back to her he was rendered speechless yet again, which was quite a feat. She only hoped he was blushing enough himself not to notice her own reddish hue.

"Your turn," Rose stated casually.

"My..._what_?" he sputtered, dragging his eyes away from the expanse of her legs.

She shrugged. "Well, unless you want that suit to be soaking wet, which really wouldn't be very comfortable, I think swimming will work better if you take it off." Emboldened by her mission to get the Doctor to loosen up, she gave him a sassy grin and took it just a step further. "And I happen to _know_ you're wearing boxers beneath those pinstripes. 'S not like I haven't seen it before."

The Doctor slowly arched an eyebrow. "Cheeky, Rose Tyler."

"And you, ancient Time Lord, are a prude," she accused with mirth.

"Ancient? _Ancient_? I'll have you know that I am the Time Lord equivalent of twenty-nine," he sniffed.

Rose snickered. "_Riiight_. Okay, so not ancient. Just a prude."

He narrowed his eyes at her, finally rising to the challenge. "Right. Fine. I was trying to protect your modesty. But since you don't seem to have any..."

"Complaining?" With that remark and a wicked grin, Rose turned and dove into the water.

By the time she surfaced and wiped the water from her eyes, the Doctor, now shirtless, was shucking his trousers on the bank and diving in behind her.

A walk, they both decided, just might have been a very good idea after all.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N **Don't you love interruptions just as things start to get good? *ducks and hides*

Oh, and tuck away the rather foreboding final paragraph for future reference. They've got a lot of ground to cover in between, but more trouble will eventually rear its ugly head.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 13<span>**

The Doctor broke the surface beside Rose, vigorously shaking the water from his hair. He gave her a brief up and down glance as they stood in a shallower region of waist-deep water, his eyes taking on a distinctly wicked glint that betrayed his boyish grin. "Typical choice for underwear, white. Though not always the most practical. Take, for instance, when it gets wet." He clucked his tongue, then waggled his eyebrows as his voice dropped just one note lower. "Practically see-through."

Rose's eyes skittered down to her wet self, and she self-consciously ducked just a little lower in the water. Her earlier boldness momentarily waned in the face of the Doctor's sudden brazenness.

"Now who's the prude, hmm?" he said with a triumphant, impish grin as he swam off.

Oh, he wasn't going to get the upper hand that easily. Recovering her confidence, Rose rolled her eyes and swam after him, glad that he seemed to be coming out of his funk, even if it was at her expense.

They splashed and teased, and then swam leisurely for a bit, just enjoying the moment and each other's company for what it was. There were moments of time when they both felt as if the universe itself could come to a standstill, and as long as they were together they wouldn't even notice.

Falling into the usual giddiness that accompanied just being together, they got a little more playful, which led to competitiveness as Rose challenged the Doctor to a few races, of which she accused him of cheating every time by using his respiratory bypass, even though he claimed he wasn't. Both knew he was.

"_This..._," Rose elaborated as she launched herself up out of the water and planted her hands firmly on the top of his head, dunking him under, "is for cheating!"

She quickly swam off, but the Doctor chased her down, catching up to her in a few swift strokes. He grabbed her by the ankles, pulled her back and into his arms, and then proceeded to tickle her senseless up and down her ribs. "Cheating? _Cheating_! This, Rose Tyler, is your punishment for casting aspersions on my good name!"

"Stop! S-stop!" she cried breathlessly, squirming in his grip as he refused to relent.

"And what do we say?" he sing-songed.

"_Please_!"

He let up on his assault and just grinned at her, about as brightly as the sun shining down from the clear sky above. His arms relaxed but still held her to him. Rose buried her face in his chest, still laughing breathlessly. She lifted her head back up, their faces now inches apart and both still breathing hard.

Their shared grins slowly faded, replaced by something much more intense as the atmosphere between them seemed to shift. His wide, fathomless eyes roamed her face, and he shifted his grip around her waist to bring one hand to her forehead, gently sweeping wet clinging strands of hair back from her eyes. One long finger then trailed a tender path down her cheek, and Rose shivered at the intimate, deliberate touch from him.

She was suddenly hyper-aware of each place their bodies touched and melded as one – her legs twined around his, his left arm wrapped around her waist and holding her fast, his hearts beating out a rapid double rhythm beneath her open palms where they rested on the firm pectoral muscles of his chest. Each place of contact left her tingling, and she wondered if he could feel it too, electric and passing from her skin into his.

He _could_ feel it, and it was something he didn't want to let go of just yet. "Thank you," The Doctor said softly, his voice low and overflowing with warmth.

Rose stared into his eyes, deep and dark and spellbinding. No eyes had ever reached into her chest and enveloped her heart as his did. Only his and only him. Drops of water fell from his wet fringe and trailed down his face and across his lips. Her eyes followed the path before lifting and finding his again. Rose softly shook her head, the movement slow, almost dream-like. "For what?"

His sigh was a long, drawn out sound of release that she could feel passing through and into her own body. "For helping me forget, even just for a little while. For helping me forget about crashed ships and...and loneliness and wars and death and..." His entire body shuddered and he briefly closed his eyes.

In shame, Rose realized there were times she would forget the unimaginable loss he carried inside, because at times he was so good at masking what he lived with. "Doctor...," she breathed out on a whisper. He slowly opened his eyes and locked on hers. Rose lifted a hand from his chest and caressed down his cheek as he nuzzled into her palm, seeking and craving the contact, and for just this once allowing a little more of it. "My Doctor," she whispered again, her hand sliding up to stroke back through his hair, comfortingly, soothingly, _lovingly_.

His eyes fell closed again as he accepted her touch, a touch that reached so much deeper.

Neither had noticed the sound of distant galloping until it drew even nearer, pulling the Doctor and Rose out of what had seemed to be steadily rising up between them, unnamed but not unknown.

"Forgive me," a voice called out behind them. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

The Doctor and Rose disentangled themselves from each other and turned in the direction of the voice. King Zerin was dismounting from his black charger, the animal drinking thirstily from the cool water.

The Doctor managed to quickly subdue what had been stirring within him moments before, a skill of repression he had come to master. "Oh, um, no...forgive us. This is your lake, after all," he called, purposely moving to shield Rose behind him. Okay, so he _was_ a prude.

And Rose was not, he noted with a frown of hearty disapproval as she moved out from behind him.

"Nothing to apologize for," Zerin replied, noting the seeming closeness between the two and briefly wondering if he had interrupted more than a swim. "It's a perfect day for a refreshing swim."

"And have you come to take advantage of the cool water, too?" Rose asked with a polite smile. Even though she was barely clothed, she didn't feel overly self-conscious around the King or feel that nervous fluttering in her belly she'd had when stripping down in front of the Doctor. But then, Zerin's eyes couldn't see through to her soul, so it wasn't possible to feel quite so exposed around any other man.

Zerin smiled slightly and shook his head. "Oh no. I haven't come to swim. Only to refresh my steed on my way back to the castle." He paused thoughtfully as he looked into the lake. "I do not believe I have taken a swim here since I was a very young boy."

"Why not?" Rose asked.

He pondered her question with a furrowed brow. "It's...something to do in leisure, and my life has been anything but. There is always a battle to be fought or a kingdom to oversee or..."

"No battles raging today," Rose reasoned with a smile. In all honesty, she wanted nothing more than to reclaim the moment and the solitude she'd had with the Doctor. It had passed now though, too fragile to last. And something about the King with the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders who never allowed himself time of leisure gave her a tug of sympathy, and she encouraged him to stay. "And I doubt your kingdom would fall apart just because you took a few minutes to go for a swim. What'd you say?" she asked with an inviting smile. "Come and join us?"

The Doctor glanced at Rose, a brief feeling passing over him that he absolutely, categorically refused to name as jealously. There was absolutely no reason to feel jealously over this attractive, slightly yet intriguingly enigmatic, notable King who at times looked at Rose with an intensity the Doctor was not entirely comfortable with. The Doctor decided to stop there in his reasons-not-to-be-jealous before it became the opposite. He wouldn't allow himself to feel jealousy, because that dangerous emotion led to other dangerous things he didn't allow himself to feel. Or so said the rules he staunchly lived by.

"Yes, the water's quite refreshing!" the Doctor chirped up with a little more cheer than he was feeling.

"I..." Zerin paused, weighing the decision as if it was a monumental one, then seemed to realize it didn't have to be. "You know? Perhaps you're right. Maybe the kingdom isn't going to fall into ruin if I recapture a small moment of my youth."

"Well, he was easier to convince than you," Rose teased the Doctor with a smirk.

The King seemed to have no qualms about shedding his midnight-blue royal garb until he was down to what reminded Rose of a dark blue mid-thigh Speedo. He dove into the water, immersing himself, then emerged a moment later in the waist-deep water, rivulets sluicing down his muscular chest as he slicked the water back from his short dark hair.

"Why don't we all have a race?" Rose suggested with a grin, still feeling playful in this relaxed setting. She then looked pointedly at the Doctor. "And I bet _he_ won't cheat...unlike you."

"A race?" Zerin questioned curiously. "You mean a competition?"

"Exactly!" she answered.

"Tell you what," the Doctor spoke up, the lighter mood he'd managed to achieve earlier starting to quickly fade as his thoughts went back to his quest to get them off this planet, preferably sooner rather than later, "why don't you two stay and enjoy yourselves, but I really should be getting back to the repairs of the TARDIS."

"But...," Rose started to object.

"No, really. You deserve a bit more of a break, and now that the King is here I won't be leaving you alone."

Rose was reluctant to consent, but it would be rude for both to just up and leave after asking Zerin to join them. She wished the Doctor would stay and give himself a break for a little longer, but she was glad that she had at least been able to get him to relax for as long as she had. "Yeah, okay. But I'll see you back at the TARDIS in just a bit."

The Doctor smiled and nodded, swimming back to the shore and quickly sonicking himself dry and changing back into his suit as Rose and Zerin continued to enjoy the lake. Maybe it was really for the best that they had been interrupted when they had, he thought. It shook him a little to realize he wasn't quite sure how much more he might have said to Rose in that unguarded moment, but considering the potential consequences, it was probably better for the moment to have ended when it did. He needed to keep this emotionally-charged situation of the past several days from allowing feelings that went against his judgment to get the better of him, he realized.

The Doctor started off toward the path they had come, the fading sound of Rose's carefree laughter pulling his gaze back in her direction one last time. He momentarily felt a tug in two directions. Something in his gut, something strong and primal, didn't like submitting to leaving Rose in the company of this other man. It was the same stomach-clenching sensation he'd once had when Rose accused him of '_Captain Envy._' The same feeling he'd again had when said Captain nearly caught him watching from the TARDIS monitor as Rose and Mickey had once gone off alone together. Different body, same feeling. Yet aside from that feeling which wasn't entirely unfamiliar, he also had a gnawing sense driving him to get them off this planet. That could only be done once the TARDIS was repaired, which drove his purposeful steps as he headed back to the ship.

-:-:-:-

After enjoying a few minutes of leisurely swimming, Rose challenged Zerin to an underwater race across the lake, and though she was still beaten, at least she knew in this case her competitor hadn't relied on a respiratory bypass in order to accomplish his win.

Both were laughing heartily as they reached the other side of the lake and caught their breath.

"Thank you, Rose," Zerin finally said as their breathing recovered, his voice filled with genuine warmth.

Rose didn't think she had ever seen him look so relaxed and open. She shook her head slightly. "That's the second time someone's thanked me just for asking them to swim. Blokes around here just need to lighten up," she answered, giving him a grin to keep things lighthearted.

He lowered his eyes before bringing them back to hers, now carrying the weight she was more used to seeing in them. "It's just that I have not done this in such a long time."

Trying to keep the mood light, Rose splashed some water in his direction. "Well you see? You should try to swim more often, then."

He nodded in agreement, Rose managing to make him see the small things he for so long had overlooked in a life that rarely afforded trivial indulgence. "I'm not just referring to the swimming, though. I mean...laughing. I cannot remember the last time I...laughed."

Rose felt a deep pang of sadness for the King who had obviously borne such burdens. "Well, you should try to laugh more often then, too," she replied gently.

He smiled, and for once it reached his eyes, his voice deep with emotion. "Perhaps if you remain longer then I shall."

-:-:-:-

Zerin returned to the castle a short time later, his demeanor noticeably lighter as he dismounted and passed the reins to a royal stable hand standing in wait. Eilam was walking through the outer court, and upon seeing the King's return, stopped to speak with him.

"Your inspection of the troops during their final day of the training excursion must have gone well. You look quite pleased," the Elder noted as the two began walking along towards the colonnade which led to the King's Court.

Zerin nodded, hands clasped behind his back. "It went quite well, yes. Has Amron returned with the men yet?"

"Yes. They arrived a short time ago. I had expected you sooner as well."

"I...came upon Rose on my way and spent some time with her before returning."

The two stopped walking as Eilam turned to him, the aged man's voice growing urgent. "And? Was she favorably receptive to your intentions?"

Zerin shook his head, breathing a sigh. "I realize that you know a great deal about the affairs of the kingdom, but I'm afraid when it comes to affairs of the heart that even I am more knowledgeable than you. One simply does not present a woman with such a proposal in such a short amount of time. These things must be handled...delicately."

Eilam's face hardened. "The luxury of time in order for you to carry this out _delicately_, as you say, is not something we have. Every day repairs are being made to their mode of transport. You must act while she is still _here_. Not only that, but you must act while her heart is still free. You believe I do not understand matters of the heart, but I understand them quite apparently better than you. Have you not seen what is between her and this man who is her physician?"

"They are simply traveling companions, as she affirmed on the first day of their arrival. He is her physician and her friend, nothing more," Zerin refuted, though he reflected back on what appeared to be an intimate embrace between the Doctor and Rose when he came upon the two of them at the lake.

"Ah, but often friends can progress to lovers. And trust me, if you do not act, another man will." The Elder narrowed his eyes. "Sufficient time has already passed. Do you still doubt that she is the one?"

Zerin paused thoughtfully as he weighed his response. He had felt hesitant in the beginning, for numerous reasons and some of which persisted, but the more he came to know of Rose the more he was unable to deny what seemed to be becoming clear. "No. No, I believe that Rose must be the appointed one. She is...remarkable."

Eilam clutched the King's shoulder. "Then make your plans in haste, Sire."

He nodded, settling it in his own mind. "I will speak with her again tomorrow and make my intentions known. No more delay."

The two journeyed on through the colonnade and into the castle. Neither had seen Amron who had overheard their conversation from a nearby alcove. He re-emerged and went on his way. Depending on which way the pendulum swung in this situation, plans of his own were being formulated accordingly.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N** Rose gets the first unforeseen surprise, with a few still to follow...

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 14<span>**

As had become the custom, Rose woke with the first light of dawn the next morning, knowing she and the Doctor would soon depart the castle to resume their work on the TARDIS. As had also become the custom, he was already up when she woke. He sat cross-legged on the floor beside the bed, dark-rimmed glasses balanced on the end of his nose, and posture hunched over in focused concentration as he worked on a small but integral component of the TARDIS. He had brought it back with him the evening before so that he could continue his work from their chamber.

Rose inwardly sighed at the waking sight. If ever someone could be termed a workaholic. Though she had managed to convince the Doctor to take a break and relax for a bit the day before, she knew there would be no getting him to give himself rest for any length of time until the repairs were complete.

_Well, back to it, then_, Rose determined with a deep breath of resolve as she greeted him for the morning and slipped into the bathing chamber to get dressed in her usual jeans and ready for the day.

As the Doctor waited for her, he was both glad to be getting another early start, yet feeling a little guilty for the work pace Rose was keeping along with his. He would just have to make it up to her once the TARDIS was operational again, he decided. Maybe their next destination could be a leisure planet. Maybe a bit of relaxation on the tranquil lavender beaches of Crystalina. Maybe more...swimming. The Doctor shook that rather distracting thought from his head and focused back on his work.

After freshening up and having a shared breakfast together in their chamber, they headed out of the castle to resume their daylong work on the recuperating TARDIS.

The Doctor and Rose were just preparing to leave through the main gate when King Zerin approached the two of them in the outer courtyard. He had anticipated their departure and had come to find Rose before she left.

"Your Majesty," Rose greeted with a sunny smile as he came near.

"Hello. Lovely morning," the Doctor remarked pleasantly, but hoped to keep moving.

"Indeed. It is a very lovely morning," Zerin replied as the three met and briefly stopped. He then turned his eyes to Rose, getting down to the reason for coming to speak with them. "And I was wondering, Rose, if you would like to accompany me this morning on a ride through the hillside. You gave me such a pleasant time yesterday with your company and showed me that moments of enjoyment can still be taken. I was hoping you would allow me to return the kindness."

Rose glanced at the Doctor, then back to Zerin. "Oh, well, that's very kind of you, and I appreciate the offer very much. But the Doctor and I really do need to keep working on repairs."

A part of the Doctor was undeniably pleased by her reply. That twinge of an emotion he had felt the day before at the lake, the one he still refused to name as jealousy, was niggling uncomfortably at him again. But he quickly buried it in the same way he always handled that small number of dangerous emotions he refused to name or acknowledge. The Doctor then felt another pang of guilt in thinking of all the work Rose had been helping him in day and night without complaint. And even though she had turned down the offer, he knew Rose would still most likely enjoy taking a ride through the scenic hillside, and she deserved a little enjoyment after all they had been through recently.

It was that thought which made the Doctor speak up to release her of repair duties, even if it took a bit of magnanimous effort. "Why don't you go ahead and join him, Rose. If everything continues to go to plan, we won't be here that much longer, so you might as well see the sights while you can. Plus, there really isn't that much we can do today anyway until the drive circuits realign themselves. I want to keep a check on the process, of course, but there's no need for you to miss a chance for a ride because of it."

Despite this reasoning, Rose was still hesitant to just shirk any help she might be able to give and indulge in a morning of leisure while the Doctor kept working. "Well I..."

"It would give me great pleasure if you would accept, Rose," Zerin implored. "And I'm certain you would enjoy it."

Feeling a little obligated since they were continuing to enjoy the King's hospitality, she finally consented. "Well...okay, then. But Doctor, I'll meet you at the TARDIS later, yeah?"

The Doctor smiled, hoping it didn't appear too tight. "I'll see you then." He glanced briefly once more at Zerin, then turned and headed back out toward the main gate.

"I've taken the liberty of having one of my finest steeds saddled just for you," Zerin said with a smile as a royal stable hand approached, leading two of the large black animals.

Rose warily eyed the intimidating beast being offered. She had ridden a horse once or twice in her time, but this was quite different. Anything that had a face like a lion was inherently unsettling when standing face-to-face with it. "I...dunno if I'd...be very good at riding one of these. Maybe we could just take a walk instead," she suggested, her cautious eyes still fixed on the beast's fearsome black ones.

"Are you frightened of them?" Zerin queried, stroking his own down the long, sleek mane.

"Just a little, yeah," Rose admitted. "Can't help it...with a face like..._that_," she chuckled nervously.

"There is nothing to be frightened of, Rose. I assure you. They are quite docile. Though they look similar, they are nothing like the Black Beasts of War, ridden only in battle."

Rose glanced at him, uneasily imagining how fearsome an animal such as that must be. "Well that sounds..._beastly_."

He nodded grimly. "Indeed. They devour any rider who is not upon one of their own."

"That's...horrible," Rose gasped.

"War usually is," he replied solemnly.

Rose regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. "The people of Zobulan have not known very much of peace, have they?"

"No," he answered thickly. His dark countenance then lifted. "Though I believe that will forever change one day."

Rose gave a half smile, then looked back at the animal in front of her as she walked around to the side with resolved determination. "Well, there's only one way to overcome a fear, I s'pose." She placed her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself up.

"Ah, well done!" Zerin beamed, mounting his own. "They are trained well and will follow even the slightest guidance. You will find that riding them is quite simple."

"Well, after you, then," Rose said, her hands tightly clutching the reins.

She followed a little behind him as he moved out, then gained more confidence and increased the pace of her trot to match his. They rode out the gate together, but quickly turned off the main route to head northward along an unspoiled path leading toward the lush, distant hills.

Rose quickly got the hang of riding and found it really was quite simple. Growing even more at ease, Rose nudged her animal to put on a little more speed and increased to a steady gallop.

"You're doing wonderfully, Rose," Zerin called out as he galloped along beside her. "You're a natural rider."

Rose threw him a grin, her hair flying back in the wind as the scenery alongside passed by at a brisk pace.

They finally slowed to a leisurely trot once they reached an open meadow, and Zerin suggested they stop and stroll for a while. They both dismounted, and the two animals contentedly began munching the deep green grass that blanketed the landscape, swaying in the gentle breeze that swept down the valley.

"It really is quite lovely here," Rose remarked appreciatively as she surveyed their lush surroundings, passing by a grove of golden trees.

"I'm very pleased that you think so, Rose," he said with a small smile. "Especially considering all the worlds you have seen in which to compare it to. I have an estate in the far northern region also. I rarely have the opportunity to lodge there, but it is in a secluded and very beautiful area as well. One of my favorite places of solitude." He lifted his eyes to the rolling hills. "Though marred from past wars, there is still much beauty to be found here."

She studied him for a minute with curiosity as she considered this place and its people. "No one here seems overly surprised by the thought of people from other worlds," she noted.

"Should we be?"

She shrugged. "It's just...I dunno. I suppose I sometimes compare other places with Earth, that's my home, by the way. And even though different, some things about this place sort of remind me of what Earth was like in the distant past. And they wouldn't have just taken, well, aliens in stride. I know you said you've already had a few travelers from time to time before, but still..."

Zerin had been wondering just how to lead into all this, and was glad this topic gave him an inroad. "We have been told of the existence of people from beyond our realm since ancient times. And as you pointed out, there have been a few travelers that have come along from time to time as well – some with strange and exotic features that did not resemble our people in the least, or so I've heard from those stories originating before my time."

"I can imagine," Rose said with a chuckle, having encountered quite a few 'strange and exotic' creatures herself.

He paused. "I do not think, however, that any visitors we have received have ever been quite like you. But as I said, while the occurrence of receiving outside visitors is not usual, it is not unheard of, either. It is something which is anticipated, actually, considering what has been foretold." With that last statement he looked at Rose carefully to gauge her reaction, but she simply continued with the topic of travel in general.

"Are you curious about what's out there?" Rose questioned wistfully. "Do you think your people will ever strive to explore it?"

He smiled wanly. "We have more than enough to focus on in our own realm without concerning ourselves with other worlds. But perhaps, in time. Who knows of the many things that may change for this world?"

They strolled along in silence for several more minutes, Zerin noticeably deep in thought, his gaze downward.

Rose turned to him again. "Is...something wrong, Your Majesty?" she questioned, noting how quiet he had become.

He shook his head. "No. No nothing is wrong. And please, call me Zerin, at least when we are alone. But as I said, nothing is wrong. I'm just...contemplating an important matter that is on my mind. Something that has been on my mind a great deal recently."

"Well, maybe it'd help to talk about it," Rose prompted. She had gotten him to lighten up a little at the lake. Maybe she could do the same for him now.

He nodded, still looking downward as he walked beside her, trying to find the right words. This wasn't the sort of thing he had ever done before, and certainly not under such exceptional circumstances. "Actually, that's why I asked you to join me this morning, Rose. There is something important that I would like to discuss with you."

Rose considered how taken everyone had seemed with her and the Doctor upon their arrival and the generous amount of hospitality shown to them, so she had begun to suspect that maybe these people were going to ask for assistance in advancing their own technology, or maybe they were eager to learn more about the worlds beyond their own – perhaps even ask to see a glimpse of the wonders of the universe once the TARDIS was functioning again. Zerin didn't seem to express that interest when she'd brought up the subject, though; so she was curious about just what _was_ on his mind.

Rose tilted her head quizzically. "Go on, then."

He turned fully towards her as they both stopped walking. His eyes searched hers anxiously. "Rose, are you aware of just how remarkable you are?" She opened her mouth to object but he cut her off. "No, you are. You really have no idea."

Rose shook her head. "I know the Doctor and I seem...unique because we're not from here. But really, Zerin, there are _so_ many different worlds out there. You just can't imagine. Trust me, I'm not so special."

His eyes and voice carried intensity as he replied. "But of all the people spanning all the distant worlds, _you_ are the one here now, with me." He reached for her hand, and Rose's eyes flicked down to it, then back up to his. "Rose, all I ask right now is that you just give me the opportunity to speak this and that you will hear this through. Alright?"

She nodded and he took a breath. "Do you remember what Eilam said about the ancient telling of a woman from a distant land, neither Jezrian nor Krendorian, whose union with a favored King would bring a new lineage and lasting peace to the realm?"

_Oh no_... Rose stared back at him, the hard-to-believe pieces finally beginning to click into place. "Zerin, you...you don't _possibly_ think that..."

He reached for her other hand, clasping them both. "Yes, Rose. That woman is you. I admit I hesitated at first in my certainty, but upon giving this full thought there is no longer any doubt in my mind."

"So w-what, are you...you..._proposing_?" she asked, gobsmacked.

He smiled tentatively. "That's exactly what I'm doing. Though I will admit I am not well versed in the best way of going about doing this. And I...I don't know what is considered customary in your world for asking something such as this. Whatever is your custom, though, just say the word and I will do it. I want this done right for you."

Well, she _certainly_ wasn't going to ask him to get down on one knee. Rose gently pulled her hands free from his. She shook her head. "Zerin, I...I just _can't_. I'm sorry. This is just so..." Rose paused and drew a deep breath, trying to think of how to reason with him in this. "Do you honestly believe, even if I actually said yes, that a marriage between the two of us could somehow bring lasting peace? And even if we did...," Rose blushed slightly. "Even if we did create some new royal bloodline – a new race between us – you really think that would easily solve everything and there would be no more fighting over the kingdom? Your own people would no doubt accept it, I get that; but what about the Jezrians? You think they would just accept this, too, and there would be no more fighting to put one of their own on the throne?"

"_Yes_," he answered with conviction. "Because _both_ races of people have been awaiting this for generations. And if you doubt you are the one, remember you have spoken yourself of all the worlds you have seen. You have great knowledge, as was foretold, and that would give you needed insight and wisdom to rule as Zobulan's Queen. While I am not boastful enough to claim that I am the most favored King Zobulan has ever known, I _have_ found great favor in the eyes of the Jezrians. And if a _new_ race, one that was not simply Krendorian, were to then branch out from here, this would be embraced as our world's long-awaited destiny."

Rose took in another deep breath. She felt more than a little awkward even discussing this aspect with him, but considering the circumstances and what was being suggested, it was something that needed to be said in dissuasion. "And what makes you think we'd even be...compatible in that way? You know...for...producing an heir?"

"I believe what has been foretold," he answered simply. "I do not believe it would be possible for this union to be a fruitless one." He then paused. "Rose, I realize this is extremely sudden and unexpected for you, but all I am asking right now is that you at least consider it."

Rose blew out a heavy breath. "I...I _am_ considering it – considering just how impossible it all is. And that's why I know there are just so many reasons why I couldn't possibly say yes to this."

"Why?" he questioned genuinely. "What other reasons? Please, tell me."

Rose tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear nervously, this whole conversation feeling awkward. This certainly hadn't turned out to be the simple outing she had anticipated. "Well...well for one thing, aside from the fact that I think the whole 'Ancient Legend' thing is barmy, this isn't even my home."

"But I thought you spent all of your time traveling as it was," he countered. "You would not be leaving behind a permanent home to stay here, would you?"

"Well...the TARDIS _is_ my home now. And besides, I _do_ have my mum back on my home world. Back on Earth. I couldn't just stay here permanently and never see her again."

"But once your means of travel has been repaired, couldn't she be brought here to stay?" he reasoned. "She would, of course, be fully welcome and highly respected."

Rose laughed slightly at the thought. "My mum's not gonna just give up...well...um...what little bit she does have to come live in a...a palace as a...well..._Queen Mother_." Rose chewed her lip in reconsideration. "Blimey. Well, yeah...yeah I s'pose she would, actually. She'd probably flip at the chance." Rose shook herself out of the whimsical yet outlandish thought of herself and her mum as royalty. "But that's _not_ the only thing I have to consider."

"What else?" he prompted, his eyes imploring her to let him know her other hesitations so he could ease them.

She looked back at him gently. "The most important one of all. I don't love you. And I don't think you could possibly have come to love me in this short amount of time, either. A marriage for the sake of fulfilling a...a legend is not the reason I ever planned for gettin' married." She looked him steadily on. "Zerin, do you think you even love me?"

"I...have a very, very deep admiration for you. You are beautiful, kind, wise and enchanting. And I believe that love is something that can grow over time."

Rose shook her head. She looked back into his eyes and questioned softly. "And what about Shadarra?"

His gaze broke from hers. The sureness he had seemed to project instantly faltered at the mention of the woman's name. His voice was quiet as he responded. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Possibly quite a lot. Do you love _her_?"

He breathed in deeply, his voice weighted with the burdens of his reign. "Love, Rose...that is something Kings are rarely afforded. My love is for Zobulan."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Rose countered gently. "And what kind of...of a marriage do you think you could possibly have with me or anyone else if your feelings for her are–"

"You would have my fidelity, Rose. I promise you that."

"But you _love_ Shadarra. I can see it."

His jaw tightened. "Shadarra and I could never have such a union. It just would not..." He trailed off to silence and looked away. After a moment he turned his gaze back on her, his next question more a statement of realization. "You love the Doctor, don't you?"

Now it was Rose whose eyes fell away. She knew the answer to this question. She had also never been in the position to go so far as to say it out loud. "I...it's just...complicated."

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned Rose fully towards him and bent to catch her downward gaze. "I think we understand each other much more than you realize, Rose. Perhaps more than any two others could. And I have truly come to believe this was meant to be. I certainly don't expect your answer right at this moment, though. All I ask is that you consider this. Will you make me that promise, at least?"

Rose worried her bottom lip between her teeth. He was obviously one hundred percent genuine in his feelings about this. Considering the importance to him, Rose decided she could at least make him feel like her final answer of '_No'_ had come with proper consideration beforehand. "I...alright. I'll think about it." She then hastily added, "But I can tell you right now that nothin's gonna change."

He smiled then. "Oh, but I am a hopeful man, Rose."

She shook her head but couldn't help in letting a slight smile peek through. "You're barmy, 's what you are."

"Are you disrespecting the King?" he asked sternly, though his eyes still reflected a smile.

She lifted her chin. "What? Reconsidering me as wife material so soon?"

Zerin's smile grew larger. "Not at all. I love a woman with spirit."

Rose snorted. She couldn't help but laugh at the outlandishness of the entire thing. Her thoughts then drifted to the Doctor. Just what might _his_ reaction to all this be?


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N **King Zerin's sureness shows signs of faltering, which does not go unnoticed by Eilam. Meanwhile Rose has some news for the Doctor.

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 15<span>**

The proposal had at last been made, and King Zerin returned to the palace feeling optimistic as he entered his Ruling Chamber. Rose had been reluctant and had not agreed flat out, but this was nothing less than he had expected. When being offered not only a marriage but a kingdom, prudent consideration was understandably required. And while she had not given an immediate answer of yes, Rose had agreed to at least consider his proposal. He could ask no more of her than that. If Rose was truly the one destined to be Zobulan's fated Queen then he had confidence in what her final answer would be.

Zerin took his ruling seat in the chamber, doing his best to maintain a positive outlook on all this, looking past any of his own inner emotional conflicts. He reassured himself with the thought that this was his and Zobulan's destiny. And in terms of personal feelings, Rose was not a woman he felt indifference towards. There was something about her he found captivating, beyond just the nature of her exotic origins. He was being truthful when he told her that he believed stronger feelings between them had the potential to grow over time.

But even if such feelings did not, he could not allow emotions of the heart to sway his judgment concerning the good of Zobulan. He was not a man who disregarded the importance of such deep emotions; he just didn't allow himself the selfishness of his own personal feelings being permitted to overshadow what might be best for the people under his rule. As a King who sought the best interest of the realm, such self-centered leading was not allowed.

Zerin's mind fell back to thoughts of his lineage. Though he had never known his grandfather, Zerin knew of his legacy. His rule had been one of brutality and bloodshed during a particularly tumultuous time in Zobulan's history. His grandfather had died in an uprising of the Jezrians in a battle to reclaim the throne when Zerin's father, Zephrim, had been but a young boy. His father then had to be hidden for a time to protect his own life. King Kezra, the Jezrian who ruled in his grandfather's place when the Jezrians succeeded in claiming the kingdom, had then been a more just King in his rule over both peoples, driven mostly in his desire for peace by an aspiration for his own rule not to end in an equally bloody manner. The residing animosity between the two races had not dissolved, however, and Zerin's father grew to become the military leader of the Krendorians, continuing the fight.

Zerin's mother had died in childbirth, and he was raised by a custodian until he was old enough to join his father on the fields of battle. His father's vision for his son of royal lineage was to one day become Zobulan's King and put an end to the bloodshed which had cost them all greatly. Though Zerin had been raised in a time of battle and did what had to be done to fight on the side of his own people, the Krendorians, he did not carry the same deep-seated hatred for the Jezrians that Zerin's father admittedly harbored himself since the day his own father had been killed. His father saw Zerin's potential as a peacemaker and believed he was to one day become Zobulan's King who would rule with favor.

Zerin's father then died in his arms in battle on the fields of Shaldon. Before his father drew his last breath, Zerin swore to him in those final moments that he would fulfill his father's vision for him. Zerin's quest for peace had squelched the hatred for the Jezrians that might have otherwise seized his heart on that day.

To now be in the position of standing as the King who would fulfill the ancient foretelling of lasting peace for this world was not something he took lightly. If Rose was the one destined to be Zobulan's next Queen at his side, then he had no doubts that she would come to accept this if it truly was meant to be. He esteemed and was even coming to care for her greatly. Yet he would not allow a triviality such as whether or not he loved her to hinder Zobulan's destiny.

Such feelings of his own were not to be a consideration in this, he firmly told himself. And then Zerin gazed up from his position of contemplation to see Shadarra approaching the chamber from the outer colonnade, and the very emotions he had tried to free himself from had instantly succeeded in seizing him yet again the very moment his eyes fell upon her.

If he allowed himself to be completely honest within his own heart, Shadarra was the one reason for any hesitance he felt in this. She had been his reason for hesitance in seeking the heart of another woman from the beginning. What he felt for Shadarra was something he had fought, denied, and refused; yet the fact still remained. This woman of Jezrian descent had done what was never meant to happen between the opposing peoples – whether he had been a King or a commoner. She had captured his heart. He believed Shadarra felt it, too. He could see it in her eyes as she no doubt saw it in his. It was there. The forbidden longing. Longing for what could never be. Regardless of Rose, this could never be. And if he were _truly_ being honest with himself, a selfish part of him hoped that a union with Rose would ease the ache of unfulfilled yearning he carried within.

Trying, as he had countless times, to rid himself of these emotion-filled thoughts, he quickly stood to his feet as Shadarra passed through the colonnade, across the King's Court and into the Ruling Chamber.

"Your Majesty," she greeted him with a slight bow of her head, her gleaming snowy hair which was worn loose in long, wavy curls cascading elegantly forward across her shoulders.

"Lady Shadarra," he greeted in return, a warm smile forming. Serving in a representative capacity for her people meant that the two often conferred on domestic matters concerning the realm. But ruling transactions aside, these small moments that allowed them to be in each other's company were times he had come to cherish.

"I simply came to inform you of the progress made on the issue of the Sedrin Valley," she said.

"Ah, yes," he nodded. "The border dispute."

"I spoke again with the Jezrian families leading the opposition, and they are willing to make a compromise. Provided the Ruling Council approves it, the landowners on the eastern side of the border will allow the more direct route to the Kipron Road to be made for those on the south, provided a new border will be drawn extending their property further east."

"You _have_ made great progress," he noted with admiration.

She shook her head slightly. "We both know they never would have disputed this in the first place if those in need of the access route had not been Krendorian. Bribing them with the possibility of more land would not have been necessary otherwise."

"Still, I'm very pleased with the progress you have helped bring about. I will, of course, be recommending to the Ruling Council that this be agreed upon. I don't think I will need to issue a mandate. I see no reason for them not to agree, especially considering that the additional land being sought is unoccupied."

"Thank you, Sire," she replied with a smile. Shadarra paused before continuing. "I...came to speak with you earlier but was informed you were out riding." She dipped her sparkling blue eyes, the ones that always entranced him even when they held sadness, before raising them back to his own eyes of dark contrast. "And did you...enjoy your ride?"

"I did," he replied, maintaining a now forced smile as he tensed slightly. "Thank you."

Shadarra hesitated before speaking further. But she knew he would not be angered or think she was stepping out of place for asking this, and she wanted to let him know she was happy for what this could mean for Zobulan, regardless of what it would mean for _them_. "And I...I understand Zobulan may soon have a reason for great rejoicing," she said, managing a tenuous smile.

"I..." He halted, struggling for the words to form in reply before resigning himself to the issue. "You know, then, of what has been suggested concerning Rose," he stated, his eyes falling from hers.

Her own eyes drifted off from him. "Of course. I knew this would undoubtedly be the case the day of her arrival. How could it not? This is what was spoken of, what was meant to be, is it not? And should the two of you be united, you will have nothing but my utmost happiness for you on that day." She tried to speak with assurance, but could not hide the slight shake in her voice at the end.

"Shadarra," he softly breathed, unable to keep his eyes from her any longer as he instinctively moved a step closer. He _had_ to say this. Maybe it was a moment not of strength but of weakness bringing this out in him now, but even if it could never be spoken of again after this day, he had to say it. "I know that due to our...circumstances I have never been able to speak of the...the deep care I have for you. But I want you to know–"

"Zerin, don't. Please," she whispered, turning away and desperately fighting back the threat of tears. "This will only make things more difficult."

He felt the ache in his heart he had tried to suppress flare. He moved in closer, his hand drifting out to rest on her upper arm. "Oh, Shadarra. If this were any other world. If you and I were any other two people and anywhere but here..."

Just at that moment Eilam appeared in the entryway. "Ah, forgive me for interrupting," he spoke out, eyeing them each with a hard, knowing look as they both abruptly turned towards him, putting distance between each other. "I came to speak with you, Sire, but I see you are already...occupied."

"No. No, I was just leaving," Shadarra insisted, barely looking up as she then hurried past him and out of the court.

The Elder watched her go, then turned back and studied the conflicted expression on the young King's face. Eilam had been contemplating a plan to make certain nothing hindered Zerin's potential union with Rose due to the possible feelings he suspected Rose and the Doctor might hold for each other. He was now certain that he would need to carry this plan out to ensure that Zerin followed through as well.

As a man who sought peace throughout his long life, Eilam was not fond of the measure he would soon take, but he would do whatever had to be done to assure this union took place. _Nothing_ could be allowed to stand in the way of what he believed was Zobulan's destiny.

-:-:-:-

After her very eventful ride with Zerin, Rose had been contemplating the entire way to the TARDIS on just what to tell the Doctor. She couldn't help but wonder just what exactly he would think of this. Should she even tell him? He certainly had enough on his mind at the moment as it was. Rose wasn't even considering actually marrying the King of Zobulan, but just the fact that she had been asked was incredibly significant, and too big a matter to keep from him, she finally decided. He needed to know. For one thing, she wondered if her final answer of 'No' would affect her and the Doctor's treatment by these people and the hospitality shown while here. Not that she would ever consider stringing Zerin along just to try to stay in his favor, but the Doctor needed to be aware of the situation so they could be prepared for whatever shift in hospitality might soon come if they were no longer welcome in the castle. She highly doubted Zerin was the type of man to take back his kindness in reprisal, but still, the Doctor needed to know what was going on.

She entered the TARDIS and found the Doctor perched on the edge of the jump seat, sonicking some type of small rectangular device, with a tangle of wires strew across his lap. Rose also noticed upon entering and seeing the TARDIS for the first time that day that the proportions of the console room appeared to be back to the normal size, and one corridor had reappeared. She assumed a normal state was yet to be the case for the rest of the ship. But still, the repairs were going much better and more rapidly than first expected.

The Doctor looked up from beneath the dark rims of his glasses as she walked up the ramp. "Rose!" he called to her excitedly. "You're just in time. I've managed to reconfigure the dematerialization circuit, and now I just have to reconnect the fluid links."

The Doctor stood up and walked to the console, stooping down to begin installing the device he had been working to repair. He motioned with a flick of his head toward the sonic screwdriver which he'd left on the jump seat. "Use setting 146-z and hold it against the transducer cell each time the red light flashes on the power monitor panel."

Rose walked over and took the sonic, then moved to the console, doing as he asked. She methodically slipped into the role of assisting him, but her mind was still going over the events during her morning with the King.

"Is it holding at thirty?" he asked from his crouched position below.

Rose checked. "Yeah, still holding." She glanced around the much-improved console room, momentarily distracting herself from other thoughts by focusing on the ship. "The TARDIS is looking even better today," she noted.

"Oh, she's brilliant, she is!" the Doctor beamed proudly as he looked up. "The dimensional stabilizers have strengthened enough to allow the internal configurations to begin expanding again. We've got the secondary and tertiary control rooms coming back online, and even the infirmary. I'd say...less than a week and we should be able to leave. Maybe even a matter of days. Days, Rose!" he enthused. "We'll be back out there again...the open road. Where we belong. Ha!"

As if on cue, the glowing central column pulsed once steadily, and the Doctor's smile stretched wider as he hummed happily in the back of his throat before focusing down again on his work.

Rose was extremely relieved to hear this, but also wishing this could have come even sooner so she wouldn't have wound up in this now awkward situation with Zerin.

"So, how was your ride?" the Doctor asked absently after a minute of silence had passed between them. He had missed Rose on more than one occasion that morning when he had found himself in need of assistance (and maybe he had missed her for just a little bit more than that reason, too. Better with two, and all that...), but his selfless side was glad she had been able to spend a little time taking a break from endless repairs, even if she had done so without him.

Rose silently paused at his question. And here it was, then. Time to just get this out in the open, Rose thought. "It was...interesting. Very interesting. Definitely. The King, he..." Rose stopped short when she glanced down and could easily tell the Doctor wasn't really even focusing on what she was saying, too engrossed in his work. "Doctor, could you stop a minute?"

The Doctor hastily pulled himself up and moved to stand beside her. "Has it gone up to thirty-five?" he asked worriedly, scrutinizing the power monitor panel.

"No, this is fine. I just...need to tell you about something."

The Doctor slipped off his glasses and turned his full attention toward her, a slightly concerned expression on his face. He could tell by Rose's demeanor something was off. "What is it, Rose?"

She took in a deep breath. "It's the King. He...he..._ Blimey_, I can't believe I'm even sayin' this. He asked me to...to _marry_ him."

Rose wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting the Doctor's reaction to be, but she had not expected him to let out a bark of laughter. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Doctor, I'm serious."

The Doctor reined in his laughter and cleared his throat. "Yes, yes I know you are. I'm sorry. It's just that it's so...ridiculous."

"Really?" she questioned, narrowing her gaze and feeling a little defensive at his response. "Ridiculous that a King would see anything at all in someone like me, or ridiculous that _anyone_ would even want to marry me in the first place?"

The Doctor's expression instantly sobered. "Rose, I didn't mean _that_. It's just that we've been here just shy of a week and you've already managed to charm the planet's ruler. It's ridiculous in the sense that this sort of thing – well obviously not _this_ in particular – but seemingly implausible events just seem to follow us wherever we go. We can never just go anywhere unnoticed, can we? And I've no doubt he is quite taken with you. I could see it yesterday," the Doctor admitted, his voice falling just a touch quieter. "I'm sure he finds you quite fascinating. _And_," he hastily added, "he has every reason to think that way. But to go so far as to propose when he hardly even knows you is really just...well...a bit daft."

Rose glanced down briefly. The King's proposal, though not at all something she had wanted, _had_ made her feel a little special. The Doctor was making her feel like it was nothing more than a joke. "His proposal wasn't meaningless or insincere. It's not just some...infatuation."

The Doctor regarded her seriously for a moment. He said all this was daft, which it was. But it was also making his stomach twist unpleasantly as the seconds ticked by. "I didn't say it was meaningless."

No, just laughable, she thought. Rose looked back up at him and wondered if she should even tell him the rest. The Doctor would no doubt just laugh all the more. "Well, I'm sure you'll find this even more hilarious, but he believes I'm the woman who was foretold would marry the favored King, whose union would help usher in peace. Now go ahead and laugh some more. Rose Tyler, Stuff of Legend, far and wide."

"I'm not laughing," he replied, his voice serious. He suddenly felt like doing anything but. "In fact, I should have seen this much sooner." His jaw tensed. "And if I hadn't been so...preoccupied I suppose I would have. This now explains quite a lot, actually – why the King would roll out the red carpet, so to speak, and welcome us into his palace as he had." The Doctor stuffed his hands in his pockets and blew out a breath. Zerin's feelings in this were obviously a little more serious than he realized. This was relieved only by the fact that those feelings went one way and Rose wasn't one to buy into the whole 'Ancient Legend' thing. He spoke his next words earnestly, making sure Rose didn't think he was just laughing it all off. "Well, I'm sorry if this has made things awkward for you now until we're able to leave. He was no doubt very disappointed when you told him no."

Rose hesitated, shifting a little on her feet and not meeting his eyes. "Well I didn't...I didn't exactly tell him...no."

His eyes rounded then narrowed. "_What_?" he all but screeched.

"Well I didn't tell him _yes_, either," she added quickly. "I mean...I pretty much _did_ tell him no, but I also told him I'd give it a little more thought."

"What did you tell him that for?" the Doctor questioned in disbelief, his voice rising higher and higher.

Rose heaved a sigh. "Because I don't want him to think that I didn't give any regard to his request at all. When I tell him _no_ firmly, he can at least be sure that I put some thought into it first."

The Doctor opened his mouth to protest further, but wasn't quite sure what more to say that wouldn't come out sounding as if he was making demands of how she should handle this. He didn't agree with her line of thinking one little bit. But there was also not much he could do about the matter. Rose wasn't his to control if this was how she wanted to handle it.

He ran both hands through his hair and cast an anxious glance back over at the console. "Well, this is all the more reason to get the TARDIS up and running sooner rather than later. The longer we stay the more complicated things could get."

He looked back at Rose and pointed a stern finger. "_You_ just need to stop being so charming." With a half-smile, he then ducked down to scoot back beneath the console.

Rose chuckled and shrugged, glad the tension had seemed to ease. "Can't help it. I get it from my mum."

The sound of the Doctor's head banging beneath the console was accompanied by his startled choke.

The Doctor and Rose continued working together throughout the day with the mood remaining fairly light between them, even though on the inside the Doctor's thoughts had his stomach coiled in a knot.

He was going to lose Rose one day. He knew that. And not just because of her shorter lifespan. Actually, preserving, or at least extending her life could very possibly be an attainable prospect. They had time, of course, before even entering into such a conversation, provided Rose still chose to stay with him in the coming years and hadn't moved on with her life. But this was something he might be able to accomplish if Rose was ever open to that prospect, considering the near-limitless advances the Doctor had access to with all of Time at his fingertips. Though no matter how much time he might be able to buy her, it still could never be quite enough. He would still lose her one day. But he could keep her with him far longer than any others had ever wanted to stay. _If_ she wanted to stay.

It was the task of holding on to her heart that he could never accomplish. They could continue on as they were – as best mates and traveling companions – for only so long. Eventually Rose would want more in life. She deserved more. More than someone like him was capable of ever giving. And it was only a matter of time before someone else came along who could and would give her such things. The Doctor might have laughed at the preposterousness of the situation when Rose told him of the King's proposal, but the truth of it was he was not at all surprised that Zerin would consider Rose for this. The both saw she was extraordinary.

He couldn't deny that the very thought of the King's proposal gnawed at him uncomfortably, but he was not overly concerned about it this time, though, because in observing Rose he was pretty certain that she didn't return any strong feelings towards Zerin. At least the Doctor didn't _think_ so. Admittedly, he wasn't exactly an expert when it came to matters of the heart – a risky area he steadfastly avoided. But the Doctor didn't think he was in danger of actually losing Rose over this.

Not this time, anyway. But what about the next planet? What about the next ruler or peasant or ordinary bloke from Earth whose heart would be captured by Rose and she would eventually, among one of them, feel the same? The Doctor already knew the answer to that question.

When that day came he would let her go.

He would wish her well, tell her to have a fantastic life, and try, even if it took every last ounce of his strength, to move on. Always moving on. Alone. Because if there was one thing the Doctor was familiar with, it was losing.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N **Rose learns what Eilam has up his sleeve as the situation nears the boiling point.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 16<span>**

A day had passed since King Zerin's unexpected proposal of marriage, and after giving enough time for what Rose hoped would seem due consideration but without dragging it out unnecessarily, she planned to meet with Zerin that next evening after she and the Doctor had returned once again from working on the TARDIS. She would then kindly but firmly refuse with a final answer of no. So when she arrived back at the castle that evening and a short while later received word that he requested her presence in his Ruling Chamber that night after dinner, she was more than happy to agree. Rose didn't want to prolong this any further for everyone's sake, and she was glad to be getting this over with once and for all.

She and the Doctor had dinner that night in the dining hall, of which the King did not attend in plans of giving her some space until her decision had been reached. The Doctor then returned to their chamber to continue working on small components of the TARDIS he had brought back with him, as had become his routine so that he could keep working on repairs from their chamber at night. The TARDIS had actually improved to the point that they could now remain in the ship and have some of the basic necessary functions, but they were still lacking the galley and a few remaining rooms. Plus, moving out of the castle before Rose had given Zerin her final answer and then had the opportunity to thank them all for their hospitality would have seemed a little unfitting.

As the Doctor continued his work from their chamber that night, Rose went to keep her appointment with the King. The Doctor had asked if she wanted him to accompany her, but Rose thought it would be best and less uncomfortable for Zerin if she did this on her own. The Doctor had tried to act fairly unconcerned about it all since the day before, but he had wished Rose would have just told Zerin a firm '_No'_ right away. He understood her reason for wanting him to feel she had given the matter due consideration, but he still didn't like the idea of Zerin thinking that marriage to Rose was a possibility in the meantime. He wanted the issue to be clear. So he was relieved she would finally be putting this to rest now.

Upon leaving their room, Rose was escorted down to the Ruling Chamber. As she entered through the heavy double doors of the long, narrow room, she found Zerin, along with Eilam, already waiting. She noticed Zerin seemed perceivably tense and avoided meeting her eyes as she stepped into the room. Maybe he already sensed her negative answer, she thought. Rose approached the stately, round, dark wood table where the two men sat. Zerin was in the center position behind the table in the large, high-back chair covered in a deep crimson cloth, with the Elder seated to his right. Rose took a seat across from them both.

"Lady Rose," Eilam greeted her first.

"Sir," Rose nodded to the aged man, then looked to Zerin. "Your Majesty." Zerin nodded once, his posture stiff. This was not going to be pleasant, she feared. She just hoped he would understand and not be too hurt by her refusal.

Eilam began getting right to the matter. "I understand you have been giving consideration to the proposal of great importance made to you by the King."

Rose cleared her throat, preparing to be firm. It was the only way. "Yeah, I have. And though I've given it careful consideration and will forever be honored to have been given such a proposal, I'm afraid that my answer is still no."

Zerin swallowed hard, his face troubled as he leaned forward. "Rose, I beg of you to reconsider. As my Queen, you have my solemn word that your life here would be one of the utmost honor and privilege. I would make it my quest to see that you were happy all of your days."

Rose smiled gently. "I'm sure you would. But Zerin I just...I don't love you or have strong enough feelings for you in that way. And even with its privileges, all of..._this_ just isn't the life I want."

Eilam folded his weathered hands and leaned forward on the table, his gaze intense as he studied her while awaiting the answer to his next question. "Tell me this, do you love the Doctor?"

Rose tensed, taken a little aback by the blunt and unexpected question from him. "With all due respect, I don't think that's an appropriate question for you to ask."

"Oh, I think it is a very appropriate question," he countered. "While you are indeed a highly intelligent woman, I do not believe you yet grasp the importance of all this, but that must change. I do not think you realize just how much is at stake here for the people of Zobulan. I do, however, think that if the situation were made a little more..._critical_ for you on a personal level, then you would not be so quick to idly disregard what has been proposed here."

"Eilam, enough," Zerin cut in, the tension mounting. "There is no need to resort to this."

The Elder drew a deep breath as he leaned back. This wasn't pleasant for any of them, but he believed it was necessary. "It has been done, Zerin. The rest is now up to Lady Rose."

"What are you talkin' about?" Rose hastily questioned, growing more uneasy by the second as her eyes flitted between the two men.

Eilam turned his aged yet sharp eyes back to her. "I am not a man to dance around an issue, so to put it in blunt but simple terms, if you refuse this marriage, then I am afraid it will cost the Doctor his life."

Rose abruptly stood up from the table, her chair screeching back across the dark wood floor behind her. "_What_? Just what exactly do you mean by that? Because if you think that _threats_ are the way to get what you want, then you–"

"This is not an idle threat," Eilam assured her darkly. "This has already been put into motion, and only your fulfillment of this marriage will be able stop it."

Zerin stood, distancing himself from the Elder and moving towards Rose. "I'm sorry, Rose. This was done without my foreknowledge."

"_What_ was done?" she demanded.

"The Doctor has been given a poison." Eilam stated calmly. "Colorless, odorless, tasteless. His drink was laced with the substance at dinner."

Rose shook her head vigorously, not accepting it. This couldn't be true. "No. No, you're lying. He's _fine_."

"He is fine for _now_," the Elder corrected. "And he will continue to be perfectly fine _as long_ as you cooperate. The toxin requires a duration of two full days to take effect. You will marry the King tomorrow before dusk. The preparations have already begun. After you have gone through with the wedding, I will see to it that the Doctor will be given the antidote immediately after, as I am the only one who knows its whereabouts. You have my solemn word that he will be given it. But you should also know that if you went through with this just long enough to ensure the Doctor's safety, but after the wedding tried to retract your vows, the kingdom would be thrown into chaos." He paused to let that sink in, but Rose could barely hear through the pounding of blood in her ears as he continued on. "Word of this impending marriage is now being spread throughout the ruling city, and a groundswell of anticipation has already begun. If you tried to abandon this marriage after the fact, a belief of extreme failure within the monarchy would spread, leading to an uprising, and war would soon follow. Regardless of what your feelings might be toward me at the moment, innocent lives would inevitably be lost in the ensuing revolt. I do not believe you are the type of person who would bring on bloodshed over this."

"Unlike you!" she seethed, her fists clenched at her sides so hard she nearly shook.

"I am simply doing what is best for the entire kingdom. Sometimes difficult decisions must be made."

She turned from him, rounding on Zerin. "And you're just sitting here and allowing this? Doing _nothing_?" she spat. "But this is exactly what you want, isn't it? This gets you what you wanted, and that's why you're letting him do your dirty work for you."

He drew a breath, attempting to steady himself and tamp down his emotions. "This is not the route I would have taken, but it has already been done. And Eilam is right in saying lives could now be lost over this, not just the Doctor's. But I do not wish to see the Doctor harmed any more than you do, Rose. Which is why you must go through with this. Please."

She took a sharp step towards him. "No, there's _another_ way. Throw Eilam in the...the dungeons and _make_ him give up the antidote! Then turn him over to the people if they want someone to blame in this! You're supposed to be the King, but look at you. You're nothing more than the Elder's puppet on a string!"

When Zerin replied, his voice was toneless, eyes lowered. "Zobulan's prudent rulers have always followed the council of the Elders, Rose. You simply do not understand the way of my people and the code that is followed, nor the destruction that has come when a quest for peace in the interest of the people has not been made above all else."

Rose shook her head in derision. "Oh, I think I'm coming to understand the way of your people all too well. You lot are nothing but vindictive, bloodthirsty villains. No wonder your planet has always had war. I think you crave it!"

"On the contrary," Eilam spoke up. "As unpleasant as the means are at the moment, this is being done to bring about lasting peace."

He stood and moved around the table, taking a few steps closer as he spoke evenly. "Now, this is how we shall proceed from here. You are _not_ to tell the Doctor the full details of this. I am aware that he is a clever man with many capabilities, and would no doubt do something to try and stop this if he knew the full truth. To avoid any such unpleasant complications, you are to tell him that this marriage is your choice." Rose was vehemently shaking her head, but he continued on. "We will send for him shortly. He will be brought to this chamber and you will tell him the joyous news of your impending union with the King. You will be given some privacy within this chamber to speak with him, but I _will_ be just outside making sure that you follow the plan that has been laid out. If you deviate from this, we will immediately seize the Doctor and have no choice but to imprison him until this is over. Is that understood?" Rose wasn't even going to attempt to answer as she bored into him with her fiery gaze. "Guards will also be posted at your chamber tonight. It is for your protection, of course, now that you are to be the future Queen of Zobulan. But you should also be aware that you are not to leave the palace before the wedding tomorrow. We will prepare a separate chamber for the Doctor to avoid you going against us and conferring with him on a plan of opposition once the two of you were alone. The Doctor will no doubt understand that it is no longer appropriate for him to share a bedchamber with the King's future wife."

Rose nearly shook with rage. "You have this whole sick plot perfectly planned out, don't you?"

"Rose," Eilam replied, his tone softening, which only succeeded in enraging Rose more, "I am not a heartless man, as you no doubt think. These measures are extreme, and for that you have my apologies. But once this marriage has been sealed, you will see that it has been for the good of everyone. Not just Zobulan. The Doctor will be free to leave unharmed, and your life will be one of exceeding privilege. You will lack nothing."

Rose turned away, her entire body radiating distress as she reached the only decision she felt she possibly could under the circumstances. She closed her eyes and drew a deep, strengthening breath before turning back to Zerin. "I'll do it," she said shakily. "I'll agree to this marriage, I'll go through with it, I'll do whatever you want, only _please_ just give the Doctor the antidote _now_."

"Tomorrow," Eilam interjected firmly. "After the wedding, you have my word that he shall receive it, but not before." He looked towards a messenger at the door, nodding. The messenger nodded back in silent acknowledgement and left. "Now then, word is being sent to the Doctor that you wish to speak to him. He will arrive shortly, and I will be right outside. Remember what we have discussed so that this will not be made any more difficult for either of you."

Rose turned her back on both of them. "Get out," she ordered coldly.

Zerin stepped towards her. "Rose, I..."

She spun back around to face him. "I said GET OUT! Don't even speak to me!"

Eilam placed his hand on the King's arm. "Come."

The two turned and left Rose alone within the Ruling Chamber, but Eilam and a group of guards remained just outside the doors.

Once out of the room, the Elder turned to Zerin. "This is a difficult moment for her, I realize. But after tomorrow all will be as it was meant for everyone. Trust me." Zerin looked away. "I know you wish to do the right thing for all involved and would have taken a less...decisive path, but that would not have yielded the necessary results. You are an inexperienced King, Zerin, and–"

"So you keep reminding me," he hissed as his eyes focused back sharply.

Eilam narrowed his gaze. "Do not resist my council, because I _do_ know what is best for our realm. You are known for your compassion, which can be an asset, but it can also be a hindrance if you allow that compassion to weaken you. You know my heart is for Zobulan, as is yours. Have trust in me."

Zerin clenched his hands tightly at his sides, a tone of loathing in his voice. "Haven't I always?" He then turned abruptly to leave, needing to clear his head.

Throughout his entire life Zerin had been taught, by his father included, that Kings were to respect the council of the Elders without doubt, for they would not be led astray by the Elder's wisdom. Now, he found himself calling into question lifelong beliefs. Yet he also held in his heart, above all else, the good of Zobulan. Even over his own life. Whether Eilam's methods were right or wrong, he was right about one thing: backing out now could cause an uprising among the people for whom he had devoted his life to bringing peace. Going about this in such a way was not easy for anyone, but he struggled to tell himself this was necessary for the sake of the entire kingdom, and he could not put anything else above that. He did not agree with Eilam's methods, but if this ultimately led to lasting stability for Zobulan, then he tried to tell himself the cost for all was a necessary one, even if he would have to spend the rest of his life somehow trying to make this up to Rose.

As Zerin continued away, he came upon Shadarra in the passageway from the opposite direction. He felt a flash of shame for her to even see him right now with what was being done.

"Y-Your Majesty," she stopped and greeted, barely meeting his eyes. Word was quietly but quickly spreading throughout the palace of the wedding preparations. She knew.

Pain seized the King's heart even as he struggled to bury his own feelings. "Shadarra," he breathed out.

She put on a forced smile, though it trembled. "I have heard the...the joyous news and have learned the preparations are already underway."

He swallowed down forcibly, his voice solemn as he confirmed this. "Tomorrow I will take Rose as my wife."

Her eyes were fixed on the floor. "You have my utmost best wishes."

He briefly closed his eyes. "I would expect nothing less from you," he replied with emotion. "Shadarra, you..." He turned and looked about, then guided her quickly by the arm into the shadows of the dim corridor. "You have always been the one for whom the words I hold within my heart have never been able to be spoken. But you know... Oh, _surely_ you must know..."

She placed her hand on his chest, her eyes locking with his. "I _do_ know, Zerin. I have known since the day you took the throne and showed me such heartfelt regard, which extended so far beyond just upholding your word to my uncle that I could remain here." She drew an unsteady breath. "Yet this is the way it must be. And I have also always known that you were destined for such greatness. For you to be the King for whom the legacy of peace was foretold brings me such joy," she said with a tremulous smile.

He slowly lifted his hand to her face, hesitated, then cupped her cheek, his voice low and pained. "Yet it comes with a price for all. I have never..." He clenched his eyes shut, swallowing hard. "I have never even allowed myself to touch you," he whispered. Without further word, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately but swiftly. She was just beginning to sink into his embrace when he released her and took a step back, both nearly trembling. He gazed into her eyes, his voice thick. "Tomorrow my heart will belong to another, and we will not speak of these things again."

He turned from her without further word and hastily continued down the winding corridor as Shadarra forced herself to continue on in the other direction.

Meanwhile the Doctor had been summoned and was on his way to Rose in the Ruling Chamber, unaware that all he thought he had known about his relationship with Rose was about to be shaken. He had told himself that if the day ever came in which she chose to leave him, he would let her go. What he hadn't known was that such a decision would so soon be put to the ultimate test.

As night fell and the appointed day drew closer, three hearts, with two more soon to join them, were seized in turmoil.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N **Angst warning for this chapter. (but don't give up on our beloved pair just yet...)

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 17<span>**

Rose paced anxiously within the Ruling Chamber that had now become a prison as she awaited the impending arrival of the Doctor, the simple effort to breathe becoming more difficult with each passing second. A host of tumultuous thoughts were spiraling through her mind at a dizzying speed. In desperation, she kept trying to reason away all that she had been told and find a way out of all this.

Even if what Eilam said about the Doctor being dosed with a poison was true, would it have a lethal effect on him? As proven by his quick recovery from severe injury after the crash, he was capable of overcoming physical harm more readily than most. Surely his system might be able to neutralize and overcome whatever toxin might be starting to circulate. Yet even if it were capable of harming him, it wouldn't take effect until after an incubation period of two days. It was possible that the Doctor could come up with _something_ to counteract it in time. Surely. Yet he couldn't do that if he were locked away, which was what would be done to him if she didn't cooperate right now. And Eilam would know if she tried to tell the Doctor of all this because he would be listening and no doubt watching through the door, bent as he was on the plan being carried out as he directed. And if guards remained with her until the wedding, there would be no other chance between now and then to just flee or to warn the Doctor so he could formulate his own cure.

Rose walked to the window. The chamber was on the ground floor, and she had to fight the clawing urge to just smash the imprisoning glass and try to run, again realizing that she could not make an attempt to flee because the Doctor would be seized. She stared out as the last light of day had faded to total darkness, a darkness that was twining its way into her soul.

Another thought had also come to her racing mind. If it came right down to the most unthinkable, the poison would most likely not kill the Doctor with finality. He would regenerate. When disputing what Eilam had done, she had not revealed this fact of the Doctor's physiology, of course, because she was not going to give the Elder that additional knowledge as something more to plot against.

Yet regeneration was still a death. It would bring the Doctor one life closer to a death of permanence. He had already laid down one life for her. She would _not_ have him lose another for her sake. But then, she kept coming back to the thought that there was a very good chance that whatever substance was in the Doctor's system would not harm him in the least. And yet there was also that chance that it would. She could not risk the Doctor for even a shadow of a chance.

One thing Rose had learned about herself in her time with the Doctor was that she was a fighter. She wasn't one to just roll over and let things happen without taking a stand. And what she often found herself fighting for against all odds was the Doctor, just as he did the same for her. She would stop at nothing, even rip open the heart of the TARDIS and return to the midst of battle and almost certain death if it meant at least trying to save him. She was willing to sacrifice her own life if it meant protecting his. She remembered once telling her mum just before returning to face a deadly Dalek fleet that if it could save the Doctor's life, she would try anything. And that _strength_ was what Eilam had found to now use against her as a weakness. But this was not about a power struggle between her and Eilam to see who would come out the most dominant. If complying, at least for right now in the short term, meant giving in to what Eilam wanted, then, as she always chose, Rose would do whatever it took if it meant protecting the Doctor.

Rose closed her eyes. She knew without a doubt what she had to do. She saw no other choice. If saving the Doctor meant she had to go through with this wedding then so be it. She would make that sacrifice if it meant protecting him. Whatever happened after this forced marriage was something she would deal with as it came. For now, her only thought was to ensure the Doctor's immediate safety.

Rose attempted to draw a deep, steadying breath as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from outside the double doors. He was coming. She was going to have to give the performance of a lifetime if she was now going to convince the Doctor that this was actually her choice. But that's what she had to do.

Rose steeled herself as the doors opened fully and the Doctor stepped in.

Rose turned from the window as the Doctor walked through the doors and into the chamber. The two escorts who had accompanied him bowed silently and left, yet the doors remained partially open, and behind the Doctor she could see the shadow of Eilam move silently up to the other side of the doors, listening, watching and waiting.

The Doctor stepped towards her, hands in his pockets and eyes on Rose. His outward stance was casual, but an uneasy feeling was brewing in his gut, and it didn't escape his notice that Rose would only briefly look him in the eyes. He had expected her to have already returned to their own chamber by now. How long should it have taken to say 'no?' And why would she 'officially' summon him like this? She hadn't even spoken, yet something was already telling him there was a reason to be ill-at-ease. "Rose? I received 'Royal Word' that you wanted to speak to me. So...how did it go in talking with the King? Is everything alright now?"

Rose forced a smile to her face – one she hoped she could somehow keep in place. "Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine."

Lie number one.

He shrugged, a questioning expression on his face. "Then what is it?"

She fought to keep her eyes from skittering over to the doors. How could she even say this and make it sound halfway believable? "It's just...well, I have something to tell you. And...I know this is not something you were expecting to hear. Probably the last thing you expected. I hadn't really expected to change my mind about this at first either until I gave it more thought, but..." She paused. There was no easy or convincing way to say it, so she just blurted out the words on a rush. "I've decided to marry Zerin. I've accepted his proposal."

Unlike his reaction the day before, this time the Doctor was not laughing. Actually, as her eyes anxiously searched his for a response, he didn't seem to react at all. He stood still, his face impassive.

"You have?" he asked slowly, tangible doubt lacing his tone. He wasn't buying this, she knew. "You came here to tell the King in no uncertain terms that your answer was no, and now suddenly you're telling me you've changed your mind and _accepted_?" His eyes were piercing as he gazed at her probingly. "Rose, I would say you were kidding here, that this was some daft joke, but the look on your face clearly says you're not. Tell me what's going on."

Rose ducked her eyes from the scrutiny in his, speaking her words to the floor. "I told you. What's going on is that I've decided to...marry the King."

He slowly shook his head, his words equally slow and measured. "No, you had said that you were _not_ going to marry the King, and you came here to tell him so. You expect me to believe that you've now suddenly changed your mind about something like this?"

Rose lifted her head and looked him squarely in the eyes. "I was...persuaded."

"I'm beginning to see that." The Doctor swept his eyes around the empty room, then took a quick step towards her, closing the distance and grasping her by the shoulders as his eyes flashed. "Rose, have they threatened you? Because if they have..."

"No," she quickly insisted. "They haven't threatened me." _They've threatened you, _her mind was screaming. It was that blaring thought which spurred her on to make a greater effort to be more convincing before Eilam made good on his warning to seize the Doctor if he tried to interfere with this. Rose spoke her next words with as much conviction as she could muster. "I've thought about it, and I've come to realize that this was meant to be."

"_Meant to be_?" he scoffed, still gripping her shoulders. "Don't tell me you're actually buying into that whole 'Ancient Legend' thing that these people have such blind hope in. You think it's actually up to _you_ to help bring lasting peace here?"

Rose began to actually think this side of it through for the first time with a little more depth. Before, she had seen her arrival here as a coincidence, but if she was _really_ going to have to go through with this, then maybe the pain she was feeling here and now would be more tolerable if it could actually serve some purpose.

"Maybe it is what I was meant for," she murmured, though still not at all believing it herself. "And regardless of what I believe about their legend, if the people believe it and accept this union as a sign of lasting peace and a reason to let go of their hostility then isn't that what matters for them? The outcome?"

The Doctor slowly shook his head side to side, as if trying to shake the very words from his ears. He honestly could not fathom what he was hearing. "You're really saying that you're choosing to marry him? That you would just...just sacrifice your life for this?"

_Better mine than yours. _"Yes."

He was now barely breathing, his voice low. "When?"

"Tomorrow."

The Doctor released her shoulders and began pacing the room, thrusting a hand roughly through his hair. "You would do this? You would _actually_ do this? Marry this man you hardly know and just stay here..._permanently_." He turned swiftly back towards her, pinning her with his gaze. "And what about us?"

He stood rigid, swallowing hard as the words were spoken.

Rose's eyes were wide and fixed on his. The Doctor's unguarded question was ringing in her ears. "Us?"

An emotion that had briefly flitted across his features was masked as quickly as it came. "I mean the traveling. Together. I thought you...you liked the traveling."

Rose took a step towards him. "Doctor, I _love..._" She closed her eyes and drew a slow breath. "I love the traveling. But I have to...to give other things consideration now, too. There are other things I have to think about."

His voice and his stare hardened. "Oh really? And _have_ you? Have you even given any thought whatsoever to things like...like your mother who you would just be leaving behind?"

"I _have_ thought of that," Rose said, still fighting to play this role convincingly. Her eyes lowered and she spoke quietly. "And I s'pose you could...bring her here once the TARDIS was able." Rose laughed weakly. "Can you imagine? Mum, livin' in a castle. She'd probably love it."

"Oh, so that's it, is it?" he said slowly, after a pause. The Doctor laughed sardonically, the bitter sound covering something deeper, more painful. "This is all just a fairytale to you, isn't it? A little girl's fantasy come to life. Marry a King, live in a castle..."

Rose's eyes snapped up to his. After everything she was going through for _him_. How dare he! "A _fairytale_. A childish fantasy. Is that really what you think?" Her voice was a dark whisper. "Doctor, you have _no idea_ what it took for me to come to this decision."

"Oh, I think I do," he replied, the sarcasm in his tone burying anything deeper. "It took about...what? Ten minutes down here for you to decide this? Or was it closer to twelve, hmm? _So_ much thought put into this. Well done, Rose. I'm very impressed."

Rose stared back at him in silence for several lengthy moments. Beneath his abrasive words she could sense a deeper emotion he had never allowed to surface, one she had often wondered if he would ever let free – or at times if it even existed at all. If that emotion _was_ there, she needed to know – now more than ever.

"You're not happy about this, and I...I understand. But if I were anyone else, would this decision even matter to you at all?" she questioned, both a challenge and a plea. She didn't care if Eilam could hear this. So far she had not revealed anything she had been warned not to.

The Doctor's eyes fell from hers and his voice lowered. "Everyone's life matters to me, Rose."

Rose had thought she could force herself to go through with this temporarily if she had to. But she was suddenly more desperate than ever for even more of a reason to fight this here and now. Or if there wasn't an immediate way out, then a reason to find any possible way out after this forced ceremony took place and the Doctor was safe, regardless of the planetary consequences Eilam warned of. She had promised to stay with him forever, no matter what or who tried to come between them.

"But does this mean more to you because it's me?" she further questioned. Rose wasn't suggesting she was the most important person in the universe. She just _needed_ to know if she was one of the most important to him, as he was to her. She moved a step closer, pressing further. "Do I mean more to _you_." He glanced away to the side but she moved to catch his reticent eyes. "Doctor, _please_. For once just tell me how you feel. How you _really_ feel."

He looked at her, his voice sounding so much like resigned, broken sadness. "This isn't about me, Rose."

Rose shook her head and took a step back. "You just can't say it, can you?"

Her question shot straight to his hearts because he knew he couldn't. Even if faced with his last chance to say it, he didn't know if he ever could. And now, if Rose was _truly_ giving herself to another man, those protective walls were locking in place tighter than ever. He swallowed hard. "What do you want me to say?"

Rose gave a short laugh through the threatening tears, a bitter sound echoing off the walls of the chamber. "Exactly. What _I_ want you to say. Apparently they would never be your words."

Somewhere along the way, this had become much more than standing here and trying to play the role she had been forced to play. This had somehow become a conversation of truth, raw and painful. In that moment, a feeling of hopeless resignation began to seep into her being and settle achingly in her heart. Maybe Zerin had been right. The two of them had more in common than she once realized. Neither could ever have the ones their hearts belonged to. And maybe it was always meant to be that way. Maybe all this was, in some cruel twisted way, for the best, to put an end to hopeless, painful longing for things that never could or would be.

She had thought the two of them could somehow fight this afterwards, even if it did bring the possibility of another war for these people. The blood would not be on her hands because this was not her doing in the first place. But now? Now was there even a reason to try to fight this and allow a war for the sake of her own feelings for the Doctor – feelings that he would never return? Acceptance of what their relationship was never going to be tore through her heart like a ravaging wind, and in its destructive wake any trace of foolish hope was gone. She squeezed her eyes shut but there were no tears. She was numb. Empty.

The Doctor stood quiet for a moment before speaking again, his voice now toneless. He had already shielded himself from her answer. "Do you love him?"

Rose couldn't believe he was asking this of her when he wouldn't crack even an inch in his armor for her. She met his eyes before looking away and answering quietly. "That's not a question you have the right to ask."

The Doctor's jaw clenched. She wanted words from him that he could not give, but he doubted if Zerin had given them, either. This wasn't about love. To them, Rose was just a pawn in Zobulan's game, a piece they were trying to make fit into their own puzzle, and had somehow, inconceivably, convinced her this was where she now belonged. He shook his head. "Fine. I don't have the right to ask. But will _he_ love you?"

Rose fixed him with her piercing gaze, her words even sharper. "Would it even matter if he doesn't? Because would I have the love of anyone else?"

Silence stretched on, and Rose thought that maybe, _maybe_ he would actually answer that question. But then the Doctor turned from her and began walking toward the doors.

From the other side, Eilam had moved back, his unpleasant job nearly complete.

The Doctor spoke as he continued to walk away, his voice low. It was now painfully clear why he'd had a bad feeling when stepping into this room. The day he had feared would one day come was here. Rose was leaving him.

"Well, you've obviously already made up your mind, so I don't know why we're even bothering to have this conversation."

Rose took several hasty steps after him, suddenly desperate in this moment of his retreat not to lose him completely as she felt she was on the verge of doing. For the first time since the crash, she was actually glad the TARDIS wasn't quite ready for full travel yet. Otherwise she would fear just how far he would go because she could sense that desperation to run radiating from him. She at least needed to know he would stay close enough to receive the antidote. "You wouldn't just try to leave now, would you? _Promise_ me you're not."

He didn't turn around as he replied. "I couldn't yet anyway. But I won't without...saying goodbye."

Her heart nearly shattered for them both. "Doctor, no matter what happens, this doesn't have to be the...the end for us. Never. Even if I... You would still come back here, yeah? And we could still see each other." A part of Rose couldn't even believe she was saying this, that it actually seemed like it was going to come down to this. "Even afterwards, you could...still come back," she finished softly.

The Doctor slowly turned around to face her, and she didn't need his words to know the answer. His eyes already said it all. "That's not who I am, Rose. That's not what I do."

Rose felt any last bit of hope she might have been clinging to for the two of them slip away. "Of course not. You never look back, do you? You always run and never stop." Her voice rose higher even as it shook. "You run away, just like you're running now! Because you won't–"

The last of her words met with the silence of an empty room as the Doctor stormed from the chamber. Without looking back.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N** You'll no doubt be slightly interested in knowing just what the Doctor has been up to during the time leading up to this, and an enlightening glimpse of events from his POV which will answer many questions is coming. But to allow the chapter to play out as it does here, this rollercoaster will first be ridden from Rose's perspective. And yeah, if they thought they had complications _before_, well... ;)

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 18<span>**

Numb and reeling, Rose returned to the chamber she and the Doctor had been sharing during their time on Zobulan. Informing the Doctor that it was no longer appropriate for him to stay with her in this room on the eve of her marriage to another had not been necessary.

He had not tried to return.

With his glaring absence, a feeling of panic bubbled up in Rose, and she was still fighting with the fear of the Doctor never coming back at all. She was going through with this only to save him, yet what if this drove him so far away that he planned to board the TARDIS and never return? Aside from the long-term implications to..._whatever_ their relationship was, her most immediate worry was over how he could receive the antidote after all this if he wasn't even here to be given it. But Rose calmed herself marginally by knowing that the TARDIS was still not quite fully operational, so her fear of that scenario, at least, was unfounded.

Even still, the Doctor had said just the day before that it may only be a matter of days before the TARDIS was capable of traveling again. There was a chance it could be ready any time now. But then there was his aching promise of not leaving for good without first saying goodbye. As much as the words shattered her heart, ironically they were also among her only sources of comfort at the moment.

And surely, despite everything, he would be there for her in attendance at the wedding, if nothing else. Though that just might kill her. How could she stand up and pledge herself to another man with the Doctor there looking on? Rose tried not to even let her mind dwell on that approaching moment. She would do what she had to do when the time came.

Rose didn't even bother to change out of her clothes that night as she lay down on the bed she and the Doctor had been sharing. Though he didn't use it often, usually staying up through the night to continue his work, his scent was still there. It enveloped her, washing her in a fusion of comfort and anguish.

She lay awake throughout the long, sleepless night, her thoughts in turmoil. Initially Rose had thought that she would do this if she must just to make sure the Doctor was safe. Then, after it was done and he had been given the antidote in accordance with her following through, they could then somehow escape all this, despite Eilam's warning of the consequences to the tenuous peace on Zobulan if their new Queen fled, casting a belief of failure on the King. She and the Doctor certainly didn't go about inciting wars – just the opposite. But what she was being expected to do here in order to prevent it was nearly unthinkable. Once the TARDIS was operational they would run and never look back. They would leave this planet far behind and never return.

Yet beneath the thought of such a plan, a part of her _did_ feel unavoidable responsibility if breaking her vows to the King would result in an uprising of unrest and instability, sending the already unsteady planet into another generation of bloody fighting. She tried very hard not to dwell on that. She told herself this was _not_ her responsibility – especially considering how she was being forced into this in the first place. Yet despite this, she still cared deeply for the welfare of others. That's who she was. She couldn't escape that fact, regardless of whether or not she could personally absolve herself from the responsibility of the consequences. Those consequences would still be there.

And yet another thought was circling through her mind in the clamor of all the rest. The Doctor certainly gave it no credence, but maybe it was possible that she _was_ meant for this. It was not an easy thing to do, and this was certainly not what she _wanted_ to do, but maybe she needed to look beyond herself in this. If uniting herself with the King meant that an end to the generations of fighting over the throne and the achievement of lasting harmony – or even just one generation of sustained peace – could be brought to a war-torn planet, then at least her personal sacrifice would mean something.

And maybe, _maybe_ in time she could even come to develop feelings for Zerin that went beyond what she felt now. Maybe he could also begin to develop the same. She had now quickly come to despise Eilam, and she wanted to rage at Zerin for not standing up against Eilam in this, regardless of the generations of teaching which said Elders were to be revered in their 'wisdom.' A part of her now wanted to hate the King. But she believed that Zerin was still a good man at heart, despite allowing himself to be led astray in this. Maybe – and _oh_, it was foolish hope, but this kind of hope was all she had at the moment – maybe, in time, they could actually make this work; make this into something that in time would become deeper than either thought it could have been. Deeper than what she felt now as much of her despised Zerin for this.

Yet as soon as her thoughts even _tried_ to go the first step in that possible direction, she was immediately reminded of the reason why this hurt so. The reason why this tore her soul in two was not just the thought of joining herself to someone she didn't love; it was the thought of losing the one whom she did. She could never fully give her heart to another because it already belonged to someone else. Wholly. Irrevocably. As much as it now hurt, she could not change that.

Rose could scarcely believe all of this was even happening. In spite of the emotional turmoil she was drowning in, she couldn't help but marvel at the surrealism of it all in the first place. Who would have ever thought that she, a shop girl from a council estate, would one day have her heart divided between a King and a Lord?

And yet, that Time Lord could never give her his hearts in return, could he? Their last conversation seemed to make that painfully clear. And that had been alright, she had always told herself. Just having his hand to hold had been enough for her if it meant she could be a part of his mad, brilliant life. No matter how much she might have quietly longed for more, she would have never pushed for more than he had been able to give. What they did have, even if it never reached the level of what she had inwardly desired, had always been enough. Or so she had tried to tell herself. But her heart had still held hope. She had held to the hope that one day, maybe, they could be more. So much more together than they had ever been apart.

Any hope for that was now gone. When she had very nearly begged for what existed unspoken between them to be voiced and acknowledged, the Doctor couldn't even look her in the eyes. The Doctor could be so closed off, so guarded with his inner feelings that she would at times be left to question just what it was he might be thinking or feeling, yet she had still believed she knew what he silently felt concerning this one thing. Maybe she had been wrong all along. What she felt was so strong that perhaps she only imagined that he had felt it too, because how could he have not? It was too powerful. Too encompassing. Quiet, yet strong and tangible.

She loved him.

This was not a revelation suddenly discovered in this moment of deep contemplation. She had loved him long before all this had shaken her heart. And ironically, that's why she was marrying another man – to protect the one she loved even if there was only a _chance_ he might be in danger of harm. But had he ever felt even the slightest bit the same? Maybe all this time it wasn't complications making it so that he _couldn't_ love her; it was the simple fact that he didn't.

What she had said to him the last time they spoke replayed again in her mind. Did it even matter whether Zerin loved her or not? Either way, she could never have the love of the one man whom she loved in return.

-:-:-:-

When Rose woke from what could not have amounted to more than a handful of minutes of fitful sleep throughout a night plagued with turbulent thoughts, she rose to face what loomed ahead of her the next day. Rose felt almost as if the numbness encasing her since the night before had twined its deadening tendrils through to the innermost reaches of her soul and taken over her entire being. Maybe it was a survival mechanism. How could she face this if her tormented feelings were allowed free reign?

A host of maids surrounded Rose and readied her for the ceremony. Despite all those attending her, Nahlia was one who was absent, and Rose wished she could have seen at least just _one_ familiar face. She understood, of course, why Shadarra had not been there, either.

Royal officials spent time instructing her on the protocol that would be followed and the details of the events which would soon take place. Though there were differences, it was not entirely unlike the traditional wedding ceremony of which Rose was familiar with. She didn't know if this was a comfort or not. If the ceremony followed by the people of Zobulan had seemed completely alien to her, then maybe it would be easier to remain detached. As it was, this _felt_ like a wedding. A solemn pledge of one to another. Did she even want this to feel real, this marriage?

The wedding would be held in the Great Amphitheater in the center of the city, the towering structure that had caught her notice upon first arrival, before being eclipsed by the looming castle. Afterwards, a procession would then follow to the palace where a wedding banquet would be held in the Grand Hall, the end of which would be marked by the first publicly-shared kiss between the newly-joined King and Queen, signifying their union. Rose had been visited by the Royal Officiator who would perform the ceremony and who instructed her on the vows that would be spoken and explained the traditional silver bangles that would be exchanged and placed around each other's wrists.

Rose was only half hearing the words that were spoken to her, feeling as if this wasn't really even happening, like she would wake up soon and find out this had all just been some daft, mixed-up dream. But it all became starkly real when she stood and looked back at the reflection of herself for the first time once she had been dressed in her wedding gown.

Her hair was arranged in perfect curling spirals that were arrayed elaborately atop her head and encircled by a glistening silver tiara. The off-the-shoulder gown was a shimmering silver with sheer, bell-style sleeves of delicate silvery lace. The gown followed her curves like a second skin until reaching her waist. The full skirt then billowed out in glimmering drapes of fabric with a long, flowing train. The iridescent material was unlike any Rose had seen. There was little added embellishment on the gown because the fabric itself was breathtaking as flecks of silver caught the light and glistened like a fiery sunset on a sea of crystal.

Rose stared at her regal reflection, barely recognizing the woman in the mirror. She knew this was the day her life would forever change.

Word had been spread throughout the realm, and crowds had been gathering around the castle since just before dawn. They continued to increase in number, a thrum of excitement and anticipation filling the city and would soon spread throughout all of Zobulan as this day all had awaited for generations reached its fulfillment.

Once fully readied, Rose was escorted to a waiting carriage that would carry her to the place of the wedding. Before stepping in, she was stopped by a messenger delivering a note. Rose took it and then boarded the open carriage pulled by a team of four pristine white steeds. The sound of cheers from the throng gathered outside faded from her awareness as she opened the note and read who it was from.

It was written by the Doctor. He wrote simply that he would see her later on.

He would probably make a brief appearance later at the banquet to wish her well. And no doubt to prepare to say goodbye.

All the emotions that had previously been numbed broke free at that instant, and they washed over her in wave upon crashing wave. Rose fought so hard not to weep in that moment. She had settled in her mind that she would do this, that she would put her life with the Doctor and any hopes and dreams – impossible as they had been – behind her. She would do this to protect the Doctor and she would do this if her destiny was to play this role in ushering in lasting stability for this world. Yet in this moment, her heart felt like it was being torn from her chest and shredded to pieces. Rose looked out at the crowds cheering her, and a part of her hated them for it. She never wanted this. All she wanted was her Doctor. The only thing she wanted was what she could not have.

The carriage carrying Zobulan's future Queen made its fated journey through the stone streets lined with cheering masses and arrived at the Great Amphitheater, following a path into the center of the open arena and coming to a stop at a set of stone steps leading up to the elevated dais. The carriage door opened and maids assisted her in stepping out, arranging her flowing train behind her.

Thousands were in attendance, yet the crowd fell hushed as the Royal Guard flanking the steps turned in unison and stood at attention facing her as she took the first step. Each one's face was stoic and emotionless, eyes fixed straight ahead, with the exception of Amron who stood at attention at the front of the first row. His eyes briefly cut to hers, and the unexpectedly-cold, steely look might have momentarily caused her stomach to clench all the tighter if it had actually been possible to tighten any further.

Rose lifted her eyes to the top of the platform and could make out two men waiting at the top – the Officiator and King Zerin.

Her heart began beating harder in her chest. This was really going to happen. Her head turned and looked past the guards to her right and to her left as she continued her ascent. Eilam was on the front row with his wife Shaleah in a section cordoned off for those of nobility, but she purposely avoided even looking at him. Despite the masses in attendance, there was one noticeably absent. Though he said he would see her later, the Doctor apparently chose not to be in attendance for the actual wedding. It was better that way, Rose told herself as she continued her climb.

She lifted her gaze again to the top as she ascended the final set of steps. She could do this, Rose repeated to herself. She could do this.

Rose took the last step and reached the top of the platform. She looked first at the Officiator, and then turned to her right to face Zerin, outfitted in his own regal attire. Sleek black trousers were paired with a deep crimson tunic, with a silver sash across his chest bearing royal Zobulan insignia. Despite his distinguished appearance, his face showed slight nervousness, but then he smiled, albeit tenuously, and for just a brief moment the tightness in the pit of her stomach somehow eased to a bearable degree.

Rose turned her head slightly to the right and looked out over the sea of people gathered. Hushed murmurs combined into a single loud hum, but she could barely hear it over the ringing within her ears.

This was her wedding day. Never, in all her life, had Rose imagined something like this. There was a time, before she ever met the Doctor, when a wedding like this might have thrilled her. Right now she was fighting not to let it break her.

Rose's focus was drawn back to the platform as the Officiator spoke the first words and requested both their hands. His voice echoed throughout the Great Amphitheater, the structural architecture designed in such a way so that the sound resonated out from the dais. Rose placed her hand in the Officiator's, and Zerin did the same. Their hands were then joined together, the Officiator covering them with both of his, one resting below and one above. Rose lifted her eyes again to Zerin as his hand clasped hers. His grip was firm but not in a forceful way. It was as if his fingers around hers were there to reassure her and keep her steady. His eyes were soft, attempting to soothe her silently. Rose focused on taking deep breaths.

She was barely able to focus on the words that were being said until it was time for Zerin to speak his vow to her. The Officiator lifted a silver box lined in crimson fabric that was sitting on a pedestal beside them. In it rested two silver, crisscrossing bands intended to be placed around each other's right wrists. The first was handed to the King. Zerin lifted Rose's hand and slid the band into place, a slight tingling sensation spreading up her arm as he did so, the sensation a contrast to the numbness enveloping her body.

His dark eyes were fixed on hers. Rose was unable to tear her own eyes away as he then began to speak his vow. He paused, then lifted his voice.

His words were spoken with such depth that it felt as if this man was giving her his very soul. "This is my solemn vow to you before these witnesses. On this sacred day, I give myself unto you and take you as mine alone. I am yours and you are mine, in heart and in soul, from now until the grave."

Rose's entranced gaze was pulled from Zerin as the Officiator extended to her the silver band to be given to the King. With a trembling hand, she lifted his and began to slip it on. In this final moment she faltered for a second, and he whispered her name, giving quiet encouragement.

She looked into his eyes, gaze locked as she slid the symbol of unity in place. She felt that same tingling sensation again as she did so, running up her arm and behind her temples. And in that moment, in that impossible breath-stealing moment, her heart stopped for a span of time as the face of King Zerin became the face of the Doctor.

Rose gasped audibly and he quickly clutched her hand before it fell away from his, squeezing gently. His familiar, deep brown eyes remained locked on hers as he nodded once, ever so slightly.

Her wide, disbelieving eyes darted to the Officiator and then out to the crowd. Did anyone else just see this but her? From the lack of shocked reaction, she seemed to be the only one aware of what had actually just happened. How or why, she had _no_ idea. Her mind was suddenly in a spiraling free-fall.

"It's okay," the Doctor whispered so as only she could hear. "It's me, Rose."

The sound of the anxious crowd below grew louder with unsettled whispering as Rose stood silent and unmoving.

The Officiator cleared his throat uneasily and spoke up quietly. "My Lady, your vow. It is time."

The Doctor moved a step closer just enough to whisper to her again. "If you want to run we can try to run. Your choice, Rose."

Surrounded by multitudes, to say nothing of the guards flanking the steps, the odds of even coming close to making it out were insane, yet he was giving her the choice to run.

Those were the only words she needed to hear.

Despite everything else going on around them in this crazy, mixed-up situation, half of which she now didn't even understand in the least, Rose was certain of one thing: This was the day they stopped running. They had run from this for far too long.

Rose looked back to the Doctor, her heart nearly hammering its way out of her chest. He smiled slowly again. It was the one reserved only for her, his eyes pools of fathomless warmth, and Rose found the words easily falling from her lips, though her voice was slightly shaking. This was no longer about playing a part or fulfilling a duty or demand. In this moment, this had nothing to do with anyone else but the two of them. These words were not placed in her mouth by the prodding of an Officiator. These words had lived in her soul long before this day. She had always been his, and these words were for him alone.

"This is my solemn vow to you before these witnesses. On this sacred day, I give myself unto you and take you as mine alone. I am yours and you are mine, in heart and in soul, from now until the grave."

Time stilled. Neither moved or even blinked, lest their eyes lose contact for even a fraction of a moment.

The Officiator placed his hand over both of theirs once again and spoke the final proclamation. "The sacred vows given to each other have bound these two in heart and in soul, and they shall be one until the breath of life is no more."

A mighty roar erupted from the crowd as cheers and applause filled the air, rumbling throughout the city.

To others, they might have convincingly stood as playing the role of Zobulan's King and Queen. But it was the Doctor and Rose, now husband and wife, who turned as one and descended the stairs.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N **The Doctor and Rose attend the wedding banquet as the mounting questions fill Rose's mind. Questions to be answered coming after this once a look back at just what the Doctor was up to leading up to all this is shown.

And YES, I am completely and utterly speechless from the number of responses to the previous chapter, and I hope to goodness I didn't overlook sending any replies. Keep this up and I may never stop writing. You guys are just awesome!

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 19<span>**

Upon reaching the bottom of the long row of stone steps, The Doctor and Rose approached the carriage Rose had arrived in which stood waiting to carry them on from here. The elated throngs who were gathered within the arena and beyond continued their rousing cheers for the new couple and this new era for Zobulan.

The Doctor's hand had not released hers, and Rose was gripping his as if it was her lifeline in the midst of this whirlwind. They climbed into the carriage and sat, both turning to look at each other, eyes searching and both sets just a little larger than usual. A wild thought flitted through Rose's mind that maybe this was a hallucination causing her to see Zerin's face as the Doctor's. All of the nearly-overwhelming anxiety leading up to this had finally caught up to her and she'd now snapped. Lost it. Gone barking mad. But she knew this beloved, gorgeous face staring back at her. She knew this cool hand that clutched hers as well as she knew her own. He was completely, gloriously, _really_ the Doctor.

Rose's face was a mirror reflecting her emotions, which were a mixture of question, confusion and utter disbelief; and beneath it all was undeniable exuberance. Despite the circumstances leading up to all this, she had just _married_ the Doctor! Not everything here was quite that simple, of course, considering this hadn't exactly been planned by the two of them, and there was still Zobulan's issues to face, of which she was thoroughly confounded as to how all of that was going to play out. But for now, this one resounding fact was taking precedence over all the rest.

Meanwhile all the Doctor could do right now was smile in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, and give her hand another squeeze. There was no way for them to speak to each other yet. Nothing could be heard over the roar of the crowd. Maybe it was just as well. Neither one was really capable of speech just yet as it was, their vows just spoken still echoing in the space between them more loudly than the surrounding noise.

The royal carriage began its processional route, followed by an entourage of royal officials. As they journeyed out of the Great Amphitheater and through the streets, a myriad of unanswered questions flowed through Rose's mind. How was it that _she_ could see the Doctor's true appearance but no one else seemed to realize he was not really the King? Just where was Zerin in all this? Did anyone else know about this? What would happen when others _did_ find out? What about the antidote to be given to the Doctor? Did he know about that? Had he ever been in danger from the poison in the first place? _How_, on Heaven, Earth and Zobulan, had he even managed this? The questions seemed endless, coming as rapidly as the beating of her heart.

But amid the limitless stream of questions flowing nonstop through her mind, one single thought continued drowning out the rest:

_She had just married the Doctor._

That single weighted fact currently consumed the Doctor as well. He had a _lot_ of explaining to do ahead of him, and he just hoped to Rassilon Rose didn't hate him for this. She'd still had to go through with a wedding that had not been of her own planning. Though the look in her eyes showed emotions very far from hatred. Those emotions were possibly just as dangerous none the less. The Doctor wasn't one to always play it safe or avoid risks, but this was perhaps the most perilous position he had ever placed himself in over the course of executing a plan. Depending on how things played out from here, possibly the most perilous position he had ever placed _either_ of them in – not a danger involving the safety of their lives, but the safety of their hearts. They had just plunged head-first into highly dangerous territory, going in the span of one day from friends and traveling companions to that of...

The Doctor swallowed thickly as he looked at his...bride. Highly dangerous, indeed.

The carriage eventually rounded the final turn and approached the main gate of the castle. The portcullis rose, and they entered, circling around to the front and stopping outside the castle's main entrance. The Doctor and Rose stood and stepped down from the carriage, the Doctor exiting first and extending his hand to her. They were then escorted inside.

Once within, they, along with the hosts following in attendance, were ushered through a large stone archway leading into the Grand Hall where the wedding banquet had been prepared. The sound of musicians playing various stringed and fluted instruments filled the air within the stately room. A banquet table draped in scarlet cloth stretched across nearly the entire length of the far end of the room with a massive hung tapestry depicting the golden hills of Zobulan centered behind it. Bright banners of various colors, all bearing the silver Royal Crest, hung high on the gray stone walls, accentuating the regal, festive atmosphere.

Eilam and his wife were the first to come up and officially greet the 'royal couple,' and even though his wife Shaleah was in his confidence and aware of the unpleasant but believed necessary role of persuasion he had played in this, he thought it best to handle the remainder of this delicate conversation alone, and suggested she wait for him at the banquet table. After doing so, he beckoned the King and Queen off to the side to speak in privacy in the corner of the large room.

"Your Highness," he addressed Rose with a bow of respect. "From this day on, your faithfulness to Zobulan will be richly rewarded throughout your life."

The Doctor could remain silent no longer, speaking in a firm voice as he fixed the man with a hard stare. "And tell me this, Eilam. Even then, could this debt to her ever be repaid?"

This was the first time Rose had heard him speak since the ceremony. Though he was using Zerin's inflection, it was the Doctor's voice she could hear.

"The debt is indeed great," Eilam agreed, "but so shall be the reward, as Her Highness now holds the high position of Queen." He looked back to Rose. "And my word to you shall be upheld." Despite his assurance to her, the Elder looked slightly troubled as he continued. "I realize the Doctor chose not to attend the wedding, but I have given the word that he is requested here at the palace right away. Even now, messengers have been assigned to find him. You have my word that he will be given the remedy to the potion–"

"The _poison_," Rose corrected sharply, the Doctor giving her clasped hand a slight squeeze, a silent gesture of reassurance. "You mean the poison."

"Yes," he conceded. "And the remedy will be given to him the moment he is located. There is no need for concern, however, as there is still another day before it would be needed."

The Doctor spoke up again. "I have spoken with the Doctor myself to ensure this would be done correctly. I am aware of where he is, and I will see to it myself that he receives it. Leave it in my possession and I will attend to this personally."

Eilam bowed. "As you wish, Sire. I retrieved it immediately after the ceremony and have it now."

"Give it to me," the Doctor commanded, maintaining the ruse, and also not wanting this man to think he was in the position of wielding any more power by possessing it.

Eilam removed a small vial from his inner cloak and relinquished it as told.

Rose felt a mighty breath of relief rush from her lungs in seeing the antidote in the Doctor's hand. From his words and demeanor, he obviously somehow knew of the poison. Whether he now still needed the antidote or not, she was at least reassured in the knowledge that he now had it either way.

"And you called yourself a man of peace," the Doctor remarked with contempt.

The Doctor then turned and looked at Rose, and despite everything else, she could see a repressed smile fighting to stay restrained as only the two of them shared this secret of who the man Eilam was speaking to really was. "Trust me, Rose. All will be well."

Rose still didn't have a clue of just what all was really going on here or how all this was possible, but she knew one thing: She trusted the Doctor. She couldn't hide her own smile, though she tried to keep it properly subdued. "I _do_ trust you."

Eilam stretched his arm out towards the long banquet table across the room, overflowing with the choicest of foods. "If I may extend the invitation, Your Majesty, Your Highness. Your feast awaits. Let us allow this to be a time of celebration."

The Doctor released Rose's hand and offered his arm. "My Lady."

Rose felt a stirring in her belly at those two words and the deep tone in which he spoke them. She took his arm, and they walked together to the banquet table and took up their place at the center. Festive music floated through the air, and there was an atmosphere of joy among all those in attendance. Rose was having difficulty focusing on anything around them, however. Her mind was continuing to whirl. She was still trying to understand what had happened here. She had endless questions for the Doctor, but at the present moment surrounded by all these people, with Eilam himself seated on the Doctor's right, there was no way to speak to him about any of this yet, and it was driving her a little insane with speculation. _Oh_, the questions she had...

They would frequently catch each other's eye, and Rose wished desperately she could read what was within his. It was clear by the weighted glances that there was much he had to tell her, obviously; but she just wondered how far those words, when he was eventually able to speak, would go. The night before he had not been able to even admit he had any feelings for her at all – at least not on a level that went any deeper than that of a traveling companion for whom he would not even return to visit. Obviously this changed things.

Or did it?

This was clearly done to keep her from being forced into marrying Zerin, and the Doctor no doubt had more to this plan than simply that, because even if peace was being maintained at the moment, he obviously could not pose as Zobulan's King forever; which again brought up her question of just where was Zerin?

Yet despite whatever the consequences would be in all this for Zobulan on a political level, the one issue ringing the loudest in her mind was what would this mean for the two of them on a personal level? In spite of the circumstances surrounding it, they were now _married_. They had willingly pledged themselves to each other through the exchanging of vows. This _meant_ something. Rose wanted nothing more in all of life at the moment than to know just what those vows meant to the Doctor, because she knew _exactly_ what they meant to her. Those words didn't come from her tongue because they were forced. They came from her heart because they were true and had always resided there. Was the same true for him?

Not the typical thing you usually have to question of the man whom you have just married. But then, nothing about their lives was ever typical.

As the banquet progressed, dancing had begun among the revelers. The King and Queen were then called out to share a traditional dance together. Rose took a sip from her goblet and looked questioningly at the Doctor. He nodded in encouragement. It was hard to resist the festive joy in the air despite all else. She had watched the others move about and the steps seemed fairly simple. And though Zerin might be expected to be skilled at this, they could get away with being less than perfect since Rose was not expected to be experienced with the traditional dance of Zobulan.

They stood, and the Doctor and Rose then walked hand-in-hand to the center of the Grand Hall, the guests clearing a path before them and gathering in a circle as the royal couple came to a stop. The fabric of her glimmering silver train was gathered and draped over her left arm for more ease of movement. Musicians playing fluted instruments started a new melodic tune as the Doctor and Rose turned to face each other. Just as she had observed the others in doing, he lifted his right hand, his arm extended towards her and bent at the elbow. Rose did the same, her arm twining around his and clasping his hand.

He smiled tenderly and was finally able to speak just to her, emotion filling his single word. "Hello."

She couldn't help it. Despite everything else, a feeling of almost giddiness came over her. Rose could hardly believe any of this. "Hello," she echoed back with a breathless laugh.

They then began a series of forward and back steps, their pace increasing and falling in sync to the tune of the music as those gathered 'round clapped to the lively tempo. They added a few sidesteps and turns as their confidence grew and they found their rhythm. Rose's gaze fell to their clasped hands, momentarily mesmerized by the twin marriage bangles coiled around their wrists.

The Doctor's voice brought her eyes back to his. "You look lovely, Rose," he said with such depth that all she could do was stare, entranced, into his eyes.

There was so much she wanted to say – so much they needed to talk about. Yet all she managed to get out was a single whispered word. "_Doctor_."

It was enough for him to understand her thoughts and emotions behind that one word. "I know. And I promise I'll explain things just as soon as I can."

After the dance was finished, they were heralded back to the banquet table for the traditional toast. Rose now remembered being told of this part. Somewhere in her turmoil-filled mind she had managed to hear some of what the Officiator had told her earlier as she had been prepared for the wedding. She was told that at the end of the banquet would come the toast and the shared sip between her and the King from the wedding goblet. And then the kiss. The new husband and wife would share a traditional kiss before parting from their guests. The Doctor had seemed prepared and knew what to do up to this point, so she could only assume he knew this was coming, too.

He did.

As they were toasted with wishes of long life, health and bounty, Rose's mind was fast-forwarding to the approaching, expected kiss. Obviously it wouldn't be appropriate to all-out snog each other senseless, but the thought that she was about to kiss the Doctor, no matter how chaste it might be, still sent her heart racing. She wondered if she would be able to tell then just what the Doctor was feeling. Was he playing a part or did this mean something more to him?

They were then handed the large silver goblet of wine. Rose lifted it to his lips in offering, their eyes locked as he took the sip. He then took the goblet from her hands and did the same for her, eyes never leaving hers as she sipped from the cup of union held within his hand.

The goblet was then lowered, and the Doctor moved in toward her slowly, almost hesitantly. His hand came to rest on her upper arm in the lightest of touches, eyes flicking down to her lips as he moved in closer still. She could feel his breath puff across her lips just seconds before they touched. His lips then pressed to hers and everything and everyone else was lost to her for just this moment. She just had time to register the sensation – the softness and coolness of his lips upon hers which sent a rush of heat to her face and tremor down her spine – before he slowly drew back, and she did the same.

Rose slowly opened her eyes and looked into his, and she saw complexity. He was trying to read her reaction as much as she was trying to decipher his. Rose wasn't alone in her questioning over this. _Neither_ knew just how the other felt about this yet.

Cheers and applause drew their focus back to the assembly of guests, and with continued applause they were ushered from the Grand Hall and on toward the marriage chamber that had been prepared.

The Marriage Chamber.

Rose was losing count of how many times her heart had felt as if it would pound out of her chest today, but the hammering beneath her breast with each step they took through the castle was making her wonder if her heart would finally give out here and now.

Fortunately for the Doctor he had a spare, because his hearts were beating out their own erratic Samba.

-:-:-:-

It was most certainly a little awkward having a group of servants accompany you into the bedroom on your wedding night. But then, this was just one element of awkwardness on a list with quite a few others at the moment. Another significant bit of awkwardness for Rose specifically was not knowing for certain how the man she had just married even felt about her – at least in _those_ terms, the significant terms upon which marriages were usually built. This in turn left her uncertain of how things would now progress from here. It was obvious, of course, how things were _expected_ to progress between them from here, and that just heightened the awkwardness.

Rose could tell the Doctor was feeling it too, which only made her own tension grow. Whereas before he had been making an effort to catch her gaze and give her looks of reassurance, the Doctor had not once looked at her as they made their way to the marriage chamber. To be fair, Rose had not attempted to look directly at him, either. They were still holding each other's hand, though. But even this increased Rose's tension. She was sure the Doctor could feel her palm starting to sweat.

They came to a stop upon reaching the large, ornately carved double wooden doors which led into the room beyond. The doors were opened and the Doctor and Rose stepped into the chamber.

It was about twice as large as the one they had formerly occupied and about three times as opulent. Rich brocade tapestries hung from the walls, and the floor was a polished white stone, similar to marble. The fireplace alone took up nearly half a wall on the right side of the room. Though the days were warm, nights on Zobulan were chilly, and a roaring fire warmed the room and bathed the space in flickering orange light. The rest of the room's lighting was supplied by elegant candelabras adorning the rich wood surfaces of the ornate wardrobes, chests and tables throughout the room.

Then there was the bed.

It was, quite literally, King-sized, and draped in sumptuous crimson fabrics of jacquard velvet. At the head of the bed, the swagged curtained fabric of the headboard stretched nearly to the ceiling. To the left side of the room between two carved stone pillars was a sitting lounge, the rounded room occupying one of the castle's turrets.

The Doctor and Rose had released each other's hand upon entering the room, and they had only briefly glanced at each other when Rose was ushered by four maids through the chamber to an archway leading to a small changing room.

There was a flurry of activity around her as the tiara was removed and her hair unpinned and brushed out in soft waves. They assisted her in removing her shimmering gown, only to be replaced by another. An ivory, capped-sleeve gown of silken material and lace accents was slipped over her head and smoothed in place. The lace-trimmed low-cut neckline and cinched bust was very...accentuating to her form, and the corseted torso of the gown tied behind with crisscrossing laces leading all the way down to her low back. The gown then flowed out gracefully at the hips upon reaching the fluid, single-layer skirt and pooled elegantly behind her in a small train. It was certainly more extravagant than the shorts and vests she usually slept in. But then, this wasn't exactly intended for just sleeping.

Rose blushed hotly at the thought while thinking about the man in the next room. Or at least she _thought_ he was still in the next room. At this point she half expected the Doctor to have already turned tail and ran.

Rose felt herself finally go a little weak in the knees with the reality of it all. Just _what_ had they gotten themselves into this time? Well, that answer was quite obvious.

A marriage, for better or for worse.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N **We start to get some timey-wimey answers as a look back from the Doctor's POV is shown. He still has a few more things left to explain, which he will do so with Rose in the chapter that follows.

On a personal note, starting this coming week my college schedule is going to take over my life for the duration of the next year, and while I feel extremely blessed for the opportunity I've been given and excited for the future, it's also going to slow my writing a bit. But I promise that this story _WILL _continue to be updated and will be completed. I already have each remaining chapter roughly drafted, so it's just a matter of adding a bit more detail and tweaking a chapter at a time. My plan is to make every effort to update once a week on the weekends, but if I'm able to update sooner then I certainly will.

I really hate to go a week between chapters, and it's going to take quite a bit more effort for me to make these updates happen, but if you'll keep reading then I'll keep writing! And as a teaser, I think you're going to like how it all ends. ;) Love you guys! My Who friends are the BEST!

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 20<span>**

Before either one had a chance to blink, Rose had been ushered away by attending maids into a small side room, leaving the Doctor standing alone in the center of the marriage chamber. He rubbed uneasily at the back of his neck while staring blankly in the direction she had gone. Though he was unarguably a being with superior intellect, it didn't take a genius to know Rose was now being prepared for her wedding night. If earlier the Doctor had been feeling out of his depth with all this, he was now very close to drowning.

They needed to talk. Obviously.

Yet despite getting himself smack in the middle of a situation the likes of which he would have normally run from as fast as his nimble legs would carry him, the thought that it had come so close to being another man who would have been in this chamber as Rose was prepared for her wedding night reminded him of one of the reasons he had been willing to go this far, and why he would do it again if he had to.

As Rose was being attended to in the side chamber, the Doctor shucked the heavy royal tunic he had worn and draped the crimson fabric across the back of a sumptuous chaise lounge in the sitting area, hoping that feeling a little less confined by the weighted garb would make it easier to breathe. It didn't. His hearts were galloping in his chest as he considered just what Rose's reaction to all this might now be. When they were finally able to speak, he still questioned whether she would come to hate him for it. Or as a possibly even more frightening thought, would she feel something just the opposite? He slowly scrubbed both hands down his face. As much as they needed to talk, he didn't feel ready for this just yet. He realized, though, that he probably never would be.

He walked over toward the chamber's center window and stared out into the night, but his focus was not on the darkened landscape beyond. His thoughts were on this entire situation, and how he would explain to Rose just how it had come to this. His mind trailed back to the events of the night before as he gazed blankly into the dark.

-:-:-:-

"_Doctor, no matter what happens, this doesn't have to be the...the end for us. Never. Even if I... You would still come back here, yeah? And we could still see each other," Rose had said, a note of desperation in her voice. "Even afterwards, you could...still come back," she'd finished softly._

_The Doctor slowly turned around to face her then, his eyes already holding the answer. The same answer he had given to Sarah Jane once when she said he simply could have come back, but no one ever seemed to understand. He could never come back. He never did. It was too painful. What he was feeling in this moment of facing loss just proved it. "That's not who I am, Rose. That's not what I do."_

_Rose looked as if she had been physically struck by his words. "Of course not. You never look back, do you? You always run and never stop." Her voice rose higher even as it shook. "You run away, just like you're running now! Because you won't–" _

_The last of her words met with the silence of an empty room as the Doctor stormed from the chamber. Without looking back._

Living up to Rose's assessment of him, the Doctor ran. Or at least he tried to. He tried to turn his back on all this and lock it away somewhere deep enough that he couldn't feel it; where it wouldn't hurt. But was there _anywhere_ that deep? There was only so much he could bury before there was no room left at all.

But if Rose had made up her mind in this, if she had really made the decision to stay here and leave her life with him behind, then what could he do but walk away? It wasn't the first time a companion had made the decision to leave him. And the Doctor had told himself that if Rose ever chose to leave him one day, he would gather every ounce of strength within him to simply let her go and move on.

The problem with that plan was facing the reality of putting it in action. But it wasn't just the pain of letting her go and walking away that was eating him from the inside out. His mind kept screaming at him that this just wasn't right. Not by a long shot. Rose wouldn't just do this. She wouldn't just change her mind about something like this so suddenly. He knew her too well for that. Or at least he thought he did. But questions without answers were muddling his thoughts and it was difficult to even think this through rationally.

That's what he had to do, though. He had to stop and breathe and give this rational thought, because somewhere in the midst of all this was an answer.

There had to be _something_ he could do in this situation.

The Doctor paced the halls of the corridor like a restless animal, his mind going into overdrive. And then a possible answer came to him. If this union between Rose and the King was being sought in the first place because it was believed a new royal line which would be accepted by both races could be created from such a union, wouldn't the whole thing be pointless if that wasn't even possible?

The Doctor quickly pulled out the sonic screwdriver as he continued down one of the castle's corridors. Just a ways up ahead was an entryway to a large open room. He moved closer and passed by the steam-filled chamber where servants were milling about, tending to what appeared to be laundry duties. The servants were of both races. He surreptitiously ran a scan with the sonic as he passed by. The Doctor stood off to the side in the corridor and analyzed the results after scanning a Krendorian male, referencing the findings with human genetics.

His shoulders sagged in defeat as he assessed the results. It appeared humans and Krendorians would very possibly be genetically compatible. He usually marveled at the ability of humans to adapt and thrive and reproduce throughout the universe. Now he wanted to curse that fact.

The Doctor wasn't giving up so easily, though. He remained unnoticed in the shadows as he ran some additional scans and continued to analyze, and that's when another revelation began to become clear. Humans and Krendorians appeared to be compatible, but Jezrians and Krendorians did not. Yet what he found was that the dissimilarities between the two races were very minute in terms of genetic compatibility. It was highly possible that with some slight genetic alterations and reintroduction of recombinant DNA, reproduction between the two races would be a definite possibility. This was not a far off stretch at all. This was attainable.

He had never even thought to see if this was possible before. And frankly, it hadn't been his issue. It was now.

They wouldn't need Rose. In fact, this solution would be more fitting than any other ever could be – a solution which Rose herself had first suggested early on in their stay here when learning of the discord between the two races, before being told of the incompatibility between the two. His brilliant Rose had already given him the answer to this.

The Doctor felt the first spark of hope, and that spark was all that was needed to light the fire. There wasn't much time, and he needed to get to the TARDIS to work this out further.

With purpose in his stride, the Doctor continued on his way at a brisk pace when something slowed his steps. Something else was niggling at him, something else that wasn't quite right. It was an uneasy feeling deep in his gut that he had hardly even noticed during all this because his stomach was already coiled in knots. This was something just a little more, though. Something was just a little off, but barely noticeable amid the steely grip of unease that had clutched him even the day before, ever since first learning of Zerin's proposal to Rose. This feeling within was different, though, and just enough for him to notice.

The Doctor stopped and focused all of his concentration inward. His senses were picking up on his body's reaction as his system mounted a response to something foreign in just a high enough degree that he became aware as dendritic cells in his hepatic system were busy capturing foreign antigens and in turn activating T cells at a rapid rate.

The toxin he was still unaware of ingesting might have lingered surreptitiously in his system for forty-eight hours before causing a harmful effect, but his body was already dealing with the foreign substance, and in this case neutralizing it.

The Doctor again took the sonic screwdriver in hand and this time performed a quick scan of himself to pinpoint the reason for the reaction he sensed in his system. He slowly lowered the sonic after reading the unmistakable results.

Someone had tried to poison him.

The missing pieces were quickly beginning to fall into place. They were using him to get to Rose. He didn't know what exactly she might have been told regarding this, but this so clearly explained the look in her eyes when she told him she had been 'persuaded.'

He was not immune to any and all poison, but in this case his physiology was mounting a successful response of overcoming and neutralizing it. If Rose had been told of the poison, she would have no way of knowing this, however. The fire within him blazed hotter. She was doing this for him. Realizing what Rose was willing to do for him nearly overwhelmed him and made the Doctor question, and not for the first time, just what he had done to deserve her devotion. This also drove his frantic pace to continue carrying out what needed to be done to solve all of this and bring an end to their fixation on Rose.

"Never trick a Time Lord," he murmured darkly. "And never trap a Wolf."

The Doctor broke into a sprint as he ran through the corridors and descended series of spiraling stairs like a madman as he headed for the outside of the castle with the TARDIS as his goal.

He then came to a dead stop as he neared a door leading outside. Just ahead was Zerin, himself heading out. The Doctor slowed his steps and hung back to see if he remained alone, then followed out the door behind him a moment later.

The King stood in the solitude of the outer courtyard, gazing blankly out into the night. The Doctor silently approached him from behind.

"So you've persuaded Rose to marry you."

Zerin quickly turned in the direction of the voice to see the Doctor standing behind him, hands in his pockets. He looked non-threatening. Zerin knew enough of a man poised for battle not to be fooled. "She has agreed, yes," he answered guardedly.

"And why is that?" the Doctor asked, his stance rigid as steel.

Zerin paused, carefully weighing his words. "Because she has come to see that this is what is best for everyone."

The Doctor moved a step closer. "Really? And do you believe that?"

"I believe that for Zobulan this is–"

"No," the Doctor cut in sharply, "I don't want to hear about Zobulan. I want to hear about Rose. Do you believe this is what is best for _her_?" He took two more steps nearer, closing in on the other man, his tone now as intense as his searing eyes. "Do you love her? Do you cherish her above all else in the universe? Does the sun rise in her eyes and all of Time stand still when those eyes look into yours? And would you trust those very eyes to be your own if you could no longer see?" His voice cracked but he swallowed forcefully and fought on. "Do you know that no matter how long you live, your dying thought will inevitably be of her? And if she were standing before you dying, burning from within just to save you, would you be willing to do the same and lay down your own life for hers?" The Doctor paused, fire and ice flashing in his eyes. "Because if your answer is no to any one of those things, then you do not deserve to even _consider_ this marriage. Zobulan can fight its own battles. This is not her war."

Zerin didn't really have an adequate answer for any of that. He didn't look the Doctor in the eyes as he spoke. "I will always treat her well. Of that you have my word."

The Doctor laughed icily. "That is not even _close_ to being good enough. Now let's try this again. I want you to tell me exactly why Rose has suddenly agreed to this, because for some reason she is not able to give me an adequate reason, and I think you know why. And trust me, I am not a man you want to lie to. I can either by your greatest ally or your worst nightmare. Your choice."

Zerin looked at him steadily, still believing this had to be carried out for the sake of everyone, the Doctor now included. "Doctor, this is what is best for everyone, including you. I'm asking that you trust me."

"Considering you won't answer my question, we have no basis for trust," the Doctor shot back. "Now, I'm going to ask you just one more time why Rose has suddenly been persuaded to marry you. Because I think you know _exactly_ why, but I'm giving you the chance to come forward with it so that I can know just what sort of a man you are." Zerin tensed but remained silent. The Doctor weighed his options and took a different approach, knowing he had to be the one to gain the trust of the King. "Zerin, I have been around for a very, very long time. I have known Kings and Rulers and devils and ordinary people who most would pass by without realizing their potential. In my time I have come to learn a great deal about all people. I can see their very nature in their eyes. You're a good man at heart. I can see it. You want what is best for your people. But this is _not_ the way to get it."

Zerin could no longer keep this up. He had already been a hair's breadth from storming back to Eilam and doing exactly what Rose had suggested be done to him. He could not risk certain war breaking out over this, but neither could he justify jeopardizing the life of an innocent man. He closed his eyes and drew a breath. "Eilam, Elder and Advisor to the kingdom, threatened that harm would come to you if Rose did not agree to this wedding. I have learned he even went so far as to..." Zerin stopped, thinking of the best way to word such a grave revelation.

"He poisoned me," the Doctor stated evenly.

Zerin stared back at him, wondering how it was possible that he knew; wondering just what else there was about this man he didn't know. He answered after a beat. "Yes. But he intends to provide the antidote before it takes effect so long as Rose goes through with the wedding tomorrow."

"Well, no need for his generous offer," the Doctor replied sardonically. "Eilam overlooked just who he was dealing with, and his potion of persuasion was of no effect on me."

Zerin felt immediate relief, but his concerns were not erased. "This wedding _must_ still take place, however," he said emphatically. "Word is rapidly spreading throughout the ruling city, and to turn back from this now in the midst of such expectation would cause a certain revolt and ultimately war. You do not know the tenuous nature of the current stability. I have lived its demise in the past. I know."

The Doctor had feared this could be the case if the wedding did not proceed, and if he had to he would deal with that, too. His mind was already ticking off options, of which he kept coming back to just one. But first things first. He needed to gain Zerin's trust and convince him there was another solution than a marriage to Rose. "What if I told you I had a true solution to the discord between the two races of Zobulan and their fight over which side will rule? A solution where both races would one day be represented on the throne. A solution that involves not Rose, but the woman who I think you really do love. Shadarra."

Zerin's eyes focused sharply. "I don't know what you are suggesting or what you are planning, but Shadarra is not involved in any of this."

"No, she isn't" the Doctor calmly agreed. "But she _could_ be in a very monumental way. I believe I have a solution to this that you never could have imagined possible, and one that would allow you to be united with her."

Zerin shook his head in obvious skepticism. "What solution could there possibly be which would allow such a thing?"

"As I said, I could be your greatest ally. And you have no idea the capabilities I possess." The Doctor then extended the same offer he had to countless others for centuries, followed by the same warning. "Zerin, let me help you. Either that or I _will_ stop you." Their eyes locked, and the Doctor continued. "Be the King that you were meant to be. I'm not just asking you to trust me; I'm asking you to trust yourself. Because you know that what is being done here is not right."

Zerin was already fighting a battle within his own heart. He had wanted what was best for Zobulan above all else, his quest in life to be the kind of King his grandfather was not. One of the things his grandfather had not done was listen to Eilam's council. But what was being done with Rose and what had been done to the Doctor went against his own moral fiber. If there was even a chance of there being a better way in all this, then he could not pass that by.

"What are you suggesting?" he finally asked.

"Not here," the Doctor said quickly. "I'm going to go to my ship and begin making necessary preparations. Find Shadarra and bring her with you to meet me there. Alright?"

After a long, tense pause, the King consented.

-:-:-:-

Once reaching the TARDIS, the Doctor had worked at a feverish pace to make this possible solution a reality. The ship was nearly ready for regular travel again, and though not all of the expansive rooms had returned to their previous state, some of the more integral ones had been restored, such as the infirmary, which gave him access to what would be needed for this.

However, in order to successfully carry this out, the Doctor knew he would also need the traveling capabilities of the TARDIS, if only in a limited capacity. Though the ship was steadily gaining strength, limited traveling capacity was all she had at the present moment. Would this be enough? Sensing his anxious state, the ship brushed his mind reassuringly. He had been here for the TARDIS without fail when she needed him most, and now she would do the same for him. Together they could do this. The Doctor felt assured he could pull this off. He must. Failure was not an option here.

When Zerin and Shadarra arrived secretly in the night and were ushered in, all that was needed was a sample of their DNA, and the gene-targeted recombinant DNA inoculation the Doctor was formulating would be complete. It was not a solution which would be successful across the board for any and all species, but in this case for two that were already on the cusp of genetic compatibility, this would work.

This astonishing news, along with simply seeing the inside of the TARDIS for the first time, was almost too much to take in for the two now learning such things. Yet neither Zerin nor Shadarra were in any way opposed to this idea if it _truly_ was attainable.

After the Doctor detailed what was capable of being achieved in terms of genetic compatibility, Zerin stood along with Shadarra in the infirmary, trying to somehow absorb it all. "I...I never imagined that something like this could...ever be possible."

"Nor I," Shadarra replied, near breathless with emotion. "Not ever. It is almost incomprehensible."

Zerin's rising hope began to falter, however, still seeing problems standing in the way, as there always seemed to be when it came to his love for this woman. "But even if it is possible for Shadarra and I to have a union that could result in a joining of the Jezrian and Krendorian bloodlines, I know for a fact that there are those who would _never_ simply take your word and believe it was possible unless it truly happened. Eilam, for one. Postponing the appointed marriage with Rose on these terms of a mere possibility would never be accepted. And as I warned, word of the impending marriage has already gone out throughout the realm. The people are anticipating this coming day as none other. To draw back now would cause massive unrest. And unrest on such a scale is a highly dangerous thing with the already tenuous peace."

The Doctor's assurance about this, however, didn't falter. "All the two of you need is time. Time to...," he cleared his throat, "to make this possibility a reality. And I am the one person who can give you that."

"What do you mean?" Shadarra questioned.

"Is there somewhere the two of you can reside for a period of time where you would be out of the way? Secluded from others?" the Doctor asked before explaining further.

Zerin gave it thought. "There is my estate in the Northern region which is in a secluded location. It was my father's. I rarely have the opportunity to lodge there. The rest of the time it remains unoccupied."

The Doctor's face lit up. "Then that's where I'll take you," he stated, as if it made all of this simple.

Neither Zerin nor Shadarra were following how this served as a solution. "But how would us being in isolation solve the issue of time?" the King queried. "I cannot simply disappear for any length of time without the realm being thrown into unrest and chaos – _especially_ in light of what is expected tomorrow."

"It's simple, actually," the Doctor began to explain. "Well, simple for me, anyway. First off, you and Shadarra can be married as soon as possible. Now, is there anyone you know who can perform this? Someone who you can trust?"

"Y-yes," Zerin answered, trying to calm his racing heart at the thought that this could actually happen for him and the woman he loved. He once never would have believed it, but neither would he have believed half the things he had seen just since stepping in this ship which was bigger on the inside. "Ezrim, the overseer of the Northern realm when I am not in the region is someone I have known most of my life – someone who I trust with my life. That is why I placed him in such a position. I know he is one who could be trusted with this."

It was settled that the King's trusted overseer could privately marry Zerin and Shadarra. The Doctor then explained, quite extraordinarily, how he could solve the seemingly impossible issue of time. The TARDIS had recovered enough strength to travel some distances. Therefore he could take the two of them to the Northern region where they could begin their life together in solitude. The TARDIS should then be able to manage travel a few months into the future to see if nature had taken its course and to know for certain whether the possibility of a new Jezrian-Krendorian lineage was capable of becoming a reality.

If not, the Doctor would have to come up with a plan B in all this, but he would cross that bridge if and when it came to it. But if all of this _was_ successful, after the TARDIS had recuperated from the first trip the Doctor could then journey even further ahead if the two actually had been capable of having a child together, pick them up, and bring them back to the present time.

Eilam, the Ruling Council, and the people of Zobulan could then be presented with the _reality_ of this union, no room left for doubts. The Doctor also had to explain, however, that the TARDIS was still in recuperation and he could not travel far enough ahead in time to pick them up and bring them back again until approximately a day had passed since this first traveling they were about to do. The TARDIS would have to regain strength between trips. The total necessary traveling involved could be done over the course of two days, though.

For the Doctor it was all reasonably simple. For certain others it was decidedly mind-blowing.

After explaining all this, which sounded like an outrageous fantasy at best, Zerin and Shadarra both stood gaping at this possible madman before them. "I...I am aware of the vast capabilities you possess and the means to travel great distances to other worlds," Zerin began slowly, "But what sort of man is capable of causing..._time_ itself to do his bidding?"

"A Time Lord," the Doctor answered solemnly. "That's who I am."

It was the Doctor's assurance that somehow gave Zerin belief, even if it sounded insane. He also began to believe in himself. Zerin reached a final decision. "I trust you, Doctor. And I also trust myself in this decision to do so. I had second-guessed my own judgment due to my lack of experience as King, and I allowed Eilam to have his way because I feared going against the Elder's 'wisdom' and having my reign fall to ruin as my grandfather's had. Not again. I am taking charge of my rule and going forward with what _I_ believe is right." He paused then. "There is still one very crucial question left to ask in all this, however."

Zerin turned to Shadarra, his eyes softening as he took both her hands in his and drew in a slightly unsteady breath. He had been nervous once before when asking a woman this, but at the time he had been burdened by what he felt was his duty to destiny. He was now seeing a very different destiny, and what this meant to him on a personal scale nearly overwhelmed him with emotion. Their eyes locked as he began speaking the words he once never dared. "My beloved Shadarra. I did not have the courage to be the man I should have been for you – to be honest within my own heart and honest with you. I never told you of my deepest feelings. Even if you knew, that was not enough. I should have said these things. And then it was the Doctor who described to me what love should be like, what I should feel for Rose if I was ever going to consider a marriage to her."

The Doctor swallowed hard and turned away, trying to keep any of his own feelings in this subdued as Zerin continued opening himself and speaking words to a woman in a way the Doctor never could, despite being the one who had helped give this other man the courage.

"And what he described of love is exactly what I feel for you. I love you with all that I am. And if you will have me and if you will allow it, I will spend the rest of my life making up for the time we lost. I want you as my wife, forever at my side. And even if we are not able to create a joint lineage between us, this changes nothing for me. _You_ are enough for me, even if our union could not bring eternal peace to this realm. You will bring eternal peace to my heart, and that is more than I could ever dare to hope for. Whatever does or does not come from this point forward, we will face it together." He drew another breath, feeling there were not enough adequate words to say all that needed to be said, but he kept trying. "If you would consent to by my wife, I will love you and cherish you all of my days. And if only you would consider this, then I...I–"

Shadarra pulled one hand free from his and brought her fingers to cover his lips. "I do believe," she began with a watery yet joyous smile, "that you are talking entirely too much. All you ever had to do was ask." She moved her hand to the back of his head and lifted up on her toes as she brought her lips to his in a passionate and overdue kiss.

The Doctor was moving to slip out of the room and give them a moment of privacy when Shadarra spoke up, still in Zerin's loving embrace as she turned in his arms and he settled his hands on her shoulders. "But what about Rose, Doctor?"

"Yes," Zerin agreed, this one last issue which had sparked it all still not resolved. "You said that after allowing us this start at a new life, you could then return us to the ruling city after just a matter of days had passed here. But the wedding planned for Rose is set for _tomorrow_."

This was the one thing the Doctor didn't have an easy solution for. At least not one that would sustain peace on Zobulan until Zerin and Shadarra could be returned.

He knew what had to be done. The Doctor tried to sound neutral and unfazed as he spoke the part of the plan that rattled him more than anything else in this yet had. "The wedding can still go forward tomorrow as scheduled so that Eilam doesn't try anything further in threatening Rose, and so that an uprising among the people doesn't ensue in the meantime." The Doctor swallowed thickly. "But I'll stand in and take your place."

Zerin began to question this doubtfully. He had been asked to believe many things on this night, but how could the Doctor possibly take his place? "I don't understand. If I am not the one there, then..."

"They'll think it's you," the Doctor assured him.

"But...how is that even possible?" Shadarra queried. "Or is that a question which does not even need to be asked of a man who can travel through space and time?"

The Doctor smiled wryly. "Exactly. Due to the knowledge and technology I have, I'm capable of utilizing a device that will allow me to take the appearance of the King. Or at least that's the appearance people will perceive me as having once perception has been altered. Well, for all but one," he amended, thinking of a way to allow Rose to know it was him when the time came. "Eilam and the people will be temporarily satisfied and stability maintained, and Rose will not be bound to a marriage that would cause her to remain here. After the ceremony when I'm able to speak with her alone, I can explain all this to her."

The Doctor made it sound as if this was the easy, non-consequential part of the plan. The fact of the matter was, this was the part that scared him to death.

-:-:-:-

A short while later, the Doctor had stood at the open doors of the TARDIS overlooking the King's private Northern estate nestled serenely in the lush golden mountainside of the secluded region. Zerin stood with Shadarra, preparing to begin their new life. Shadarra had secretly slipped back into the castle before departing to retrieve some necessary belongings and had quietly gone to Nahlia and asked her to accompany them, knowing she could be trusted and would be of great help to them during this time. She also, as it happened, was an experienced midwife, should the need arise. The Doctor bid the three farewell, making a promise only a Time Lord could make. He was going to give them one year before returning them to the ruling city, but he knew for him he would be returning them in just a matter of days. He now had the final part of this plan to carry out.

It occurred to him that he could simply sweep onto the scene in the TARDIS and whisk Rose away from the wedding before it took place. But he could not return Zerin and Shadarra until the TARDIS had time between travels to recuperate. It was going to take all of the ship's current strength to travel her maximum right now of a few months ahead to let him know how Zerin and Shadarra were progressing in their new life. Just a bit more time would be needed after that for the TARDIS to be able to travel the full year ahead and then back, and in the meantime an uprising could break out among the people if he stole Rose away from the impending wedding. He and Rose stepped in to help individuals and civilizations whenever they could, not cause wars. Yet he would find a way to give Rose a choice in this during the wedding – a choice to run from all this if that's what she wanted. But he was pretty certain he knew Rose well enough to know that she would choose to go through with this under the weighted circumstances.

If so, he told himself the ceremony he would soon attend with Rose was of no lasting consequence. They would play their parts, and once it was over in a matter of days, resume their usual lives after having played an important role in assisting to bring harmony to two races once divided. For this do-gooding duo, this was simply business as usual.

So why, with each approaching second and each beat of his hearts, did this feel like anything but...?

-:-:-:-

Back in the present moment within the marriage chamber of the castle, the Doctor continued reflecting on these things which had brought him to where he was now. In a tense state of anxiety, all he could do at the moment was wonder just how things would stand between him and Rose from here now that they had just come through a _wedding_ ceremony together. Something told him (because he was a genius, after all) that this sort of changed a few things. He swallowed down hard and rubbed his eyes with his hands. As plans go, this definitely made the list of one of his most dangerous.

Meanwhile, within the changing room, the maids who had been attending Rose soon finished their duties and left the new bride one by one with a bow. Rose heard the large wooden doors to the bedchamber open, and then close heavily behind them as everyone left the room. Everyone but two.

Rose stood frozen. Now what? She drew a resolved breath. Uncertainty and awkwardness of this unplanned wedding and wedding night aside, there was so much that needed to be said – so many questions she now had for the Doctor and _finally_ had the chance to begin asking now that they were alone.

Rose glanced down at her rather accentuated cleavage as she smoothed her hands down the corset-style torso of the silk and lace gown, then peered around for a dressing gown to slip on. Coming up empty, she blew out a puff of air and turned. Hoping the blush she _knew_ had to be there wasn't too obvious as she walked out adorned in the elegant yet undeniably provocative nightgown intended for a wedding night, Rose stepped back out into the bedchamber.

At first glance she didn't see the Doctor anywhere, and she thought that maybe he _had_ fled from all this after all. But then she spotted him over on the far side of the room in the sitting lounge, gazing out the window and appearing deep in thought.

It was time to finally get some answers, she decided. About a lot of things. Answers to questions that had stood unasked and unanswered between them long before this day had come.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N **I actually managed to get this up by the weekend as hoped! Thanks for being willing to wait. :) The Doctor finally explains a few things to Rose, leaving The Big Questions next to be faced.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 21<span>**

_It was time to finally get some answers, she decided. About a lot of things. Answers to questions that had stood unasked and unanswered between them long before this day had come. _

For a few brief and silent seconds, Rose simply gazed at the Doctor where he stood over at the window with his back still to her. He had removed the ceremonial crimson tunic and sash, and wore just a loose, white linen shirt that had been beneath and was untucked over the black trousers he had donned in place of his usual suit. Though pinstripes had become the norm, this wasn't the first time she had seen him in black trousers, and steely blue eyes and a Northern voice swept into her thoughts, reminding Rose just how long the feelings she held for this man had resided within her.

Looking at the Doctor now, there was something about the relaxed, dressed-down look which struck her as incredibly sexy; but then, she often had that thought when looking at him, regardless of his state of dress. Rose had to shake herself out of those particular thoughts. There were much more pressing matters that needed to be at the forefront of her mind right now without getting distracted by attraction and desire, even if this was, technically, their wedding night.

As Rose had come back into the main chamber, the Doctor saw her movement behind him reflected in the glass of the window. He turned around to face her, his eyes briefly leaving hers of their own accord to roam down her form and take in the silken, ivory-colored gown hugging and draping her body. He took in all of her. Her hair, her skin, the creamy silk flowing down her form – her entire being seemed to glow warmly in the firelight. There might have been a few major points he was fighting to deny at the moment, but the fact that Rose was breathtaking was not one he could refute. She had been prepared for _him_, he comprehended soberly, as he was meant to be prepared to now give himself to her. He never felt quite so _unprepared_ in his lives. His traitorous eyes quickly made their way back to settle on her face.

Realizing he couldn't stand near the window all night as if hovering close to the nearest exit, he finally took a few forward strides toward Rose as she moved closer, too. The Doctor lifted an uneasy hand and scratched the back of his neck. Time to talk. _Rassilon_, had he _ever_ felt this ill-at-ease? Considering this was the first time he had ever plunged into something quite like this and had now...married Rose, he had no basis for comparison to answer that question.

"Well...I suppose I have a few things to explain," he finally said, though he was finding it hard to focus his thoughts on an explanation. Replaying the events leading up to all this had been easier for him when he had been alone. Now standing here with Rose, his mind kept replaying their vows, their dance, their kiss, their _marriage_.

"I was kind of hoping you would," Rose answered, trying to put a little lightness into her tone to lift the thick tension in the air between them.

The Doctor blew out a long breath and dove in. "I suppose I should start at the beginning. Last night, that is. After last night and our...discussion, I knew none of this was adding up, despite what you'd said. I knew you wouldn't actually decide to go through with something like this unless you felt that for some reason you had to. And it was clear you couldn't tell me _why_ you had to. Not really. So I started to put together a few answers of my own, and then went to someone who could tell me the specifics. I went to Zerin." His lips quirked faintly upward. "And as you know, I can be a very persuasive man. Plus I told him I could help. I told him that using you to somehow permanently solve the ongoing unrest on Zobulan wasn't the answer. But even still, he wasn't entirely willing to see any other way in this until I mentioned that a more apt resolution for bringing reconciliation to the people of Zobulan involved him and Shadarra."

Rose slowly shook her head. "Shadarra? How?" She then realized that whatever the answer was, this was the least of her concerns at the moment. "No. Wait...back up. First things first. What about the poison?"

The Doctor folded his arms over his chest and nodded. "Ah, yes. Eilam and his cocktail."

"Did Zerin tell you?"

He nodded again. "Yes."

Rose felt measurably better in her opinion of the King upon hearing this. "Was what Eilam said true? Were you really in danger?" Rose's voice shook a little just at the thought of him possibly being seriously harmed.

"Could have been," he admitted. "I'm not invincible, and some poisons can be lethal to me under certain circumstances. Even things that might not be serious for others. Aspirin, for instance. But in this case my system was able to neutralize this particular substance before it did any harm. My body was able to detox on its own."

Rose felt a little of her strength leave her at the same time the fear she'd been holding on to dissolved. She turned to the bed and sat down heavily on the edge. He was safe. She believed he had to be at this point, especially knowing he had in his possession what Eilam said was the antidote had he needed it. But still, just hearing it confirmed lifted at least one of the burdens that had been oppressing her every thought since learning of what Eilam had done.

The Doctor moved closer toward her, his eyes both tender and pained as he looked down at Rose. "You did this for me," he said softly, not a question but a statement of awe.

Rose shrugged. "Wasn't like I would take a chance on something happening to you. And like I said when we first crashed here – we look out for each other. 'S what we do." Both were silent for a few seconds. It didn't need to be said that what they had both done took it to a whole other level than looking out for each other ever had. She looked up at him, the stream of questions still flowing. She would continue first with the ones he was most likely to answer. "So...you said something about a better plan for Zobulan that involved both Zerin and Shadarra?"

He nodded and elaborated. "Right after...talking with you last night, I first had an idea about human compatibility with Krendorians. So I took a few scans with the sonic of some of the people here. I thought if I could show that you and Zerin weren't even...compatible then I could put an end to all of this nonsense with that proof alone."

"And we weren't?" she assumed.

The Doctor paused. "Well...it's possible that you would be. But that's not all I found. In analyzing the data, I found that the genetic differences between the Jezrians and Krendorians are not that far off at all. With some races, say...Time Lords crossed with...another species, the differences are too great a barrier to overcome." _In more ways than one, _Rose thought to herself as the Doctor continued. "But that's not the case with the people of Zobulan. In fact, they are very, very similar. With just some slight gene manipulation, of which technology in the TARDIS infirmary is capable of bringing about, it's possible that the two would be compatible and able to reproduce."

Rose easily made the connection. "And that's where Shadarra comes in."

"Exactly. It's quite obvious that feelings existed between her and Zerin," he stated, leaving Rose to realize he wasn't always so thick about such matters after all. "And as it happens, when presented with this very likely possibility, the two were not at all opposed to the idea of a marriage – especially considering their union had the potential to result in something like this."

Rose furrowed her brow and shook her head. "But that's not fair to the two of them to be in the position of feeling like they had to be used for this."

The Doctor was a little amazed that she would be so generous toward them in seeing it that way considering the position she herself had been in. Though it was because of that she was able to empathize. "And it wasn't fair to _you_," the Doctor responded. "But the difference is Zerin and Shadarra _wanted_ this. Shadarra wasn't told she _had_ to do anything or would even have to bear Zerin a child. But they both wanted this union regardless. Zerin even admitted that he wanted to marry her whether they were able to have children or not. But, as it happened, with the incompatibility issues overcome, things just...naturally took place, as they often do between two people."

"Not always with _all_ people," Rose murmured.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "No. Not always."

Both were quiet for a moment before Rose spoke again. "You talk about them being able to have a child and...things naturally taking place as if this already happened for them."

"Because it has," the Doctor explained. He shook his head with the type of wry smile only a Time Lord could manage. "Oh, there has been so much happening, Rose. All of which would have been absolutely impossible to achieve..._unless_ one happens to have a time machine, which, of course, I do – even if she's not at her best. She's still amazing. And so, Zerin and Shadarra were quietly married. Quite legitimate, with trusted witnesses. With the TARDIS now semi-functional again, I was able to take them to the King's private estate in the Northern region. I asked Zerin if there was somewhere they could remain for a period of time in seclusion, and this was the most suitable place. Unless the King is in that region to take care of matters that might arise, the estate remains unoccupied and was the perfect out-of-the-way location to set them up for a little while and allow nature to take whatever course it may, something that couldn't have been done here under the circumstances. Nahlia accompanied them as well."

Despite the timey-wimey complexity, it was beginning to click for Rose. "Let me see if I've got this straight, then. You're gonna let them...be together long enough to produce this...history-making offspring between the two races, and then after enough time has passed, pick them up sometime in the future and bring them back here to the present again, aren't you?" It sounded a bit far-fetched if one wasn't accustomed to time travel, but considering this was the Doctor, the particulars of the plan (at least _this_ part of the plan) were as simple as a Sunday drive.

He nodded, smiling slightly that she'd worked it out so quickly. "As I said before, the TARDIS is still a few days away from being able to travel without limitations, but as of yesterday she could manage distance, along with a small amount of time – a few months. And that was enough time to suffice. After taking them to the King's Northern estate in the present, I was then able to travel almost four months ahead to check on them and see if all this seemed as if it was really going to be possible, and Shadarra was already pregnant."

"So soon?" she asked in astonishment. Apparently the Doctor wasn't kidding when he said so much had been happening.

The Doctor pulled at his earlobe, not really wanting to get into how _that_ was possible. It was obvious enough. "Well...like I said, some things just...naturally happen between two people. So it seems some...well...time alone together was all they needed." He cleared his throat, changing topics. "The TARDIS will have gained more strength and can travel even further tomorrow. When I pick them up again, it will have only been two days since they were here last, but for them a year will have passed. And considering Zerin and Shadarra began expecting rather...quickly, the child will have already been born. As for their future once they've returned, so long as they avoid the estate in the North for the next year, which I'll warn them must be done, then there will be no danger of them crossing their timelines, either."

Rose took a minute to ponder this sizable amount of information. "But will the people really accept this?" she questioned. "This isn't quite how their 'Ancient Legend' foretold that it would be, with the woman from a distant world marrying the favored King, and all that."

"But in a way, it still is though, isn't it?" the Doctor reasoned. "Not that I ever saw it as valid, but it _could_ be said that you're the woman from a distant world who they had been awaiting, and right now, with Zerin's consent, I stand as King in the eyes of the people. And...well...we _did_ just...um..."

If Rose wasn't already sitting, she would have needed to be. Her eyes went wide. "Are you sayin' the legend was about..._us_? All along...about us?"

The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "Well...I don't know if you could really say that such a legend was true in the first place – more like a self-fulfilling prophecy. And Zerin and Shadarra will of course be the ones in all this with lasting significance. But…you and I have played a part. What you and I have helped put into motion has the potential to actually bring lasting peace, which never would have happened if we had never come here, and we're now holding this position of maintaining stability while things are allowed to progress for Zobulan's true King and Queen. We just sort of...put an extra spin on their legend."

Rose just shook her head, trying to absorb it all.

"And trust me, Rose," he continued. "When the people of Zobulan see this child, this new royal line representing a complete joining of the two races, this will bring more unity to the two sides than a marriage between Zerin and anyone else ever could have." His lips curved upward slightly in satisfaction. "Can you just imagine the look on Eilam's face? For a wise Elder, he's not the one with all the answers. He wouldn't have believed or accept this until it had actually _happened_, though; which is exactly what has now been achieved." The Doctor drew a breath as he laid out the final plan. "So tomorrow, I'll hold an assembly in the morning and give word to the officials to call a gathering of the people at the Great Amphitheater. You can go on ahead with the Ruling Council and wait there to keep up the appearance of Zobulan's new Queen for just a bit longer while I take the TARDIS to pick up Zerin and Shadarra, along with their child. I'll arrive with them back in the present and everything will be revealed. We should then be able to leave here shortly thereafter. The TARDIS will still need a little extra care for the time being, but she'll be ready for travel away from here by then."

Rose thought it all over for a minute, one crucial point still not fully clear. "So why, if you had _all_ this worked out, then why..." She glanced away, then brought her eyes directly back to his. "Why the wedding?" Rose paused, making sure this question was specific, no matter how foreign the words felt on her tongue to actually speak out loud. "Why did you marry me?"

The Doctor shifted a little on his feet as he stared down at them, the room suddenly feeling like it had compressed in size. Maybe it was just his lungs which had. "Well...to maintain stability on this planet until what's taken place with Zerin and Shadarra can be revealed since the anticipation of the people was rising with the wedding having already been announced, and also to keep Eilam satisfied so he wouldn't be thinking of ways to do you more harm if you didn't comply while this plan was put in motion behind the scenes. And...it came down to timing, really."

_Just what every woman dreams of hearing, _Rose thought dryly. Though considering she had married a Time Lord, maybe it was fitting for it to all be about timing in the end.

The Doctor cleared his throat and continued. "Like I said, the TARDIS was still a few days from full functioning capacity. After the traveling she did yesterday, it was going to take about a day and a half before she could travel again. I won't be able to bring Zerin and Shadarra back here until about midday tomorrow. And your wedding was set for today, so..."

"So there was no other choice," Rose finished.

He glanced down again at the floor, his voice quiet. "Well, I suppose everything is a choice. You chose to do it for me, and...I chose to do it for you."

Rose wished he would have looked at her in that moment so she could have seen into his eyes and maybe deciphered his emotions. After a pause, Rose moved ahead with one more of the easier questions. "How did you even do it? I mean...taking Zerin's place? You _looked_ like Zerin when the wedding began. And then suddenly...you didn't. But it's like I'm the only one who can see it's really you. How?" she asked, still puzzled over this, though nothing the Doctor could say at this point would really surprise her.

The Doctor came closer and sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. He held up his wrist to display the silver crisscrossing marriage band. "With this. I implanted an undetectable perception filter within it. A perception filter can either mask what people see, or alter their perception of _how_ it's seen. In this case it's allowing me to be perceived as having a different appearance. Using the King's appearance and voice as a template, I manipulated the filter to display Zerin's physical appearance and to lock the projection on to me, even from a distance before I was wearing it. It transforms the perception of the way I'm seen and even heard." The Doctor reached for Rose's own right hand, took it in his and gently lifted it. "And then I equipped this one with a dampening field calibrated to your psychic signature so that once I put this on you, and then I was physically in contact with the other to complete the link between the two, it would override the illusion of the perception filter and you could see my true form."

"You wanted me to know it was you," Rose said softly.

"Well, I suppose a woman _should_ know who it is she's marrying," the Doctor replied lightly with a slight grin. Making light of this was the Doctor's failsafe, his Standard Operating Mode.

Rose lifted her eyes to his, and the weight within them pulled the superficial grin from his face. She couldn't just let him breeze over this, no matter how convoluted the circumstances were that brought it about. It _meant_ something. Rose inhaled deeply, trying to form these words which felt so impossible on her tongue.

"And now we're _married_."

And here it was. "Technically," he agreed in a neutral tone, his expression carefully guarded.

And she hated it. Rose wanted him to show _something_ to let her know if this meant anything to him at all. Because it certainly did to her. "Technically," she repeated tonelessly.

The Doctor stood back up. He took a few pacing steps before turning back. "I'm sorry, but I didn't see any other way, Rose. Unless you would have rather it had been Zerin."

Was he now showing...jealously? Rose would have given anything if she could have just read what it was he was feeling. "No, of course not. I–"

"Because unlike the marriage that was originally planned for you, you're not going to be held to this one," he finished.

So that was it, then. Rose slowly shook her head. "So we'll just...what? Pretend it didn't even happen?"

After a tense moment passed, he nodded once. "If you want. Or...before leaving here we can have the...marriage rescinded. It would take some time, though, to go through the proper steps and channels. If you want to leave right away once we're able, then there are other options. There are plenty of other places out there where we can..."

Rose's eyes that had drifted away snapped back to him. "What? Get a quick _divorce_?" she said, a hint of pain lacing the sarcasm in her tone.

The Doctor swallowed, fighting to maintain a neutral tone. A mere few days before, he never would have pictured them in such a position to be discussing these types of options. "Yes. We don't even have to do _anything_ about it though, really. We can just...just go on and..."

"And act like it never happened in the first place?" she pressed. "Act like it didn't even mean anything?"

"If that's what you want," he answered, eyes not meeting hers.

Rose stood up, level with his gaze which drifted back to her. "What do _you_ want, Doctor? For that matter what are you even _feeling_?"

He hesitated on a reply. He couldn't answer that question because he didn't have the answer. He had been fighting _not_ to allow himself to feel in this, trying to take the safest path possible as he walked on glass. "Rose, this wasn't...it was never..."

"It wasn't planned and it wasn't initially by choice. Yeah, I know." She took a step closer to him.

Rose needed to say this. She needed for him to know. If they went on after this and pretended it never happened then so be it if that's the way it had to be. She couldn't force him to feel this was something more if he didn't see it that way. But she could _not_ pretend like it meant nothing to her. And now that Rose was finally crossing that dividing line to say this she couldn't stop, and she didn't want to anymore. She had held back long enough. _Years_. She _married_ him today. Rose had stood before him, looked him in the eyes and pledged herself to him, heart and soul, for the rest of her life. So if ever there was an appropriate time to let go and finally say these things it was now.

"But you know what, Doctor? I _meant_ it. I meant those words I said to you. I thought I would have to stand up there today and force those words to someone I never meant to give them to, but they were _not_ forced. My pledge to you, my _vow..._Doctor, I meant every word. And they were true long before I said them to you today."

The Doctor stood unmoving, his eyes wide and intense. He had struggled with the critical question of wondering just how much this had meant to her. Now there was no question, and nothing frightened him quite so much.

Rose could tell he was fighting so hard to hold back, and she wished desperately that he would just let go. Let go of _something_. Be it anger or repulsion or passion – _something_.

Her eyes remaining resolutely on his, Rose finished softly but intensely. "Now all I ask is this one thing. Did it mean anything to _you_? You've said yourself that words have power, they have meaning. We spoke _vows_ to each other, Doctor. Did that mean anything to you? _Please_ tell me this now, even...even if the answer is no."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N **The Doctor answers Rose's question in his own way, finally forcing him to evaluate where they stand, and what stands between them.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 22<span>**

_"We spoke vows to each other, Doctor. Did that mean anything to you? Please tell me this now, even…even if the answer is no."_

Smothering tension seemed to pull the air itself from the room as Rose's significant question was met with silence.

The Doctor recovered a semblance of equilibrium the second he broke eye contact and turned from Rose. He walked a few steps away, and for a brief few seconds she thought he might even leave the room. But then he turned back, and what she saw in his eyes at that moment shook her a little as she drew a sharp breath. The emotion radiating back at her carried the intensity of a raging storm and the fragility of glass, nearly broken. It was anger and longing and anguish. It was the beauty of what they both wanted held by ugly chains that refused to let it free.

And it wasn't going to be the answer either wanted it to be.

"It's not that simple," he finally replied, his emotional voice so tight that every muscle in his body was strained with the effort of speaking this. "You want a simple answer from me, but there isn't one, Rose. Not with this."

Rose took two hasty steps forward to where he had withdrawn. They were _not_, leaving it at that. Not at this point. "_Why_? Why can't there be?" she countered his response. As much as he was fighting to hold back, this was still the most the Doctor had ever opened up about what existed unspoken between them, and Rose wasn't going to let this slip through her fingers without trying to hold on to it with all her might before it was lost. "I know that so many things in life are hard, Doctor. So many things in life are a struggle, and so many things can never be simple. But does that have to be the way things are for _us_? For _this_. For you and me?"

"You just don't understand, Rose," he answered in a broken voice.

"Then tell me. Please. _Let_ me understand," she pleaded. If they were finally going to confront this head-on but then turn away from it completely then she at least needed to know why. "Is it because you'll lose me one day? Because if that's the reason, would it really hurt you any less when that day came if you made sure we never became more to each other in the meantime? Never became closer? Or is it…is it because this just wouldn't be worth the effort?" she asked, not trying to get a rise out of him but genuinely questioning if this was so. "Would my time compared to yours be so short that it just wouldn't even be worth—"

"No," he interrupted sharply, unable to keep listening to her self-doubts and remain silent. "No, that is not at all the reason why. You're the one, Rose…the _only_ one who has ever…" He closed his eyes briefly and took a long breath before fixing her again with his intense gaze. "You promised to stay with me forever. Do you understand just what that means to me? No one has _ever_ promised me that, Rose. And if that is really, _truly_ what you want then there are ways. I couldn't make you live forever — no one can. No one does. But there are so many advances out there — breakthroughs beyond your time period. Means which exist billions of years in the future that could keep you with me so much longer than anyone who has traveled with me has _ever_ wanted to stay. And that is one of the very reasons I did all this today. To _keep_ you with me."

Rose didn't even know what to say to this. She felt so confused. He so desperately wanted her with him, yet was fighting just as hard to keep her at arm's length? And then in the middle of all this to bring in the potential of somehow, someday, extending her life — dropping something like this on her _now _of all times, as if her head wasn't already spinning enough. So what was he saying? Was he saying all he wanted was a long-term traveling companion, and since she'd offered to stay for her lifetime then _this_ was the only reason he stopped her from having to marry Zerin?

"So you're saying…what, exactly?" she asked him slowly. "Are you saying that since I've promised to stay with you and you can find ways to keep me around a little longer then _that's_ what made today worth the effort? Why you did what you did? Okay, so…now I'm starting to get it. You see the potential of being able to keep me as more of a permanent companion, yeah?" she pressed, moving a step closer. "I promised I'd stay, and you can make that promise last a little longer if I'm willing. So to you I'm one who wouldn't have to be 'replaced' quite so soon, is that it?"

"Rose, stop it. Just _stop_," he responded tightly, his body tensing all the more.

"Then what are the reasons?" she cried. "If it isn't because you're afraid of losing me too soon…if we can be together, then why can't we _be_ _together_? Is it…is it because you don't even want…"

The Doctor couldn't swallow these words down any longer. They rose like bile in his throat. "It's because _you_ wouldn't want _me_," he answered her sharply, eyes flashing.

Rose's reply was a steady challenge, her eyes never leaving his. "Try me."

He laughed once, short and bitter. "Oh, you just don't know, Rose. You don't really know what you're asking for — who I am, what I've done. After the War, I'm…" He stopped and fell silent before finally speaking again, his voice dark. "_This_ isn't something I do, Rose. Not anymore. Never again."

Rose had a flash of revelation in this moment. All those years, all those lifetimes, all the relationships he had formed — Rose was no longer naïve enough to think she was the only one he had ever grown close to. But maybe she was the only one who he had fought so hard to keep from growing even closer. "You mean this isn't something you'll do with _me_. You've not been this guarded with anyone else, have you?"

The question hung in the space between them. The Doctor thought of the relationships he had allowed himself to have in times past. And not just the distant past. Even after the War, just recently, how easily he had let his head be turned by Reinette — even asking her to pick a star, pack a bag and come with him. And he had meant it. He _wanted_ her to come on board the TARDIS along with him and Rose, _between_ him and Rose. And why? As a distraction. A distraction from this very thing facing him down tonight. This thing that shook him a little inside every time he looked at Rose and felt something so much stronger than he ever dare feel.

He stared at Rose so long that she thought he wouldn't even reply. His eyes never left hers once he finally did. "No. Just you."

A noise escaped her throat that started as an ironic laugh but came out choked. Rose shook her head. "Doctor, I don't want to be your statue on a pedestal that's…that's never allowed to be touched. For one thing, I don't deserve to be up that high; and for another, I want more out of life."

"Then you want more than I could ever give you," he answered, his voice hollow.

Rose released a breath of exasperation. "Because you won't let yourself. You won't let yourself give or let yourself _have_. And why? Is it punishment for the War, or because you think you're just not allowed because…because the universe would…implode or something?"

The Doctor flinched visibly at the mention of the War, and Rose knew she had struck a nerve that ran deep, a wound that had not healed. She didn't want to dredge up pain for him. She wanted him to let go of that pain. The Doctor had learned all too well about loss. He had learned how to fear it. It was that fear which was now fighting against her — fighting against _this_. She understood that now. His haunted eyes said it all, even if his words had not. There were times when the Doctor seemed like such a mighty being, but in this moment Rose saw him simply as a lonely, broken man. He was the Last of the Time Lords, the Oncoming Storm, a Lonely Angel — yet he was also just a man. He was a man who deserved to have happiness and love just as much as any other.

"Doctor," she continued softly, "The past isn't what matters _now_. Right now. Let the past go before it stops you from living."

Rose saw the depth of his pain flash in his eyes before being covered by a mask of steel. "It already has."

Her heart broke for him, yet found strength at the same moment. She was not going to let him lose anything more in life — not now, not her, and not on the basis of casting this away of his own doing. In putting herself in his place as the last survivor of an annihilated race, she literally could not comprehend the anguish he lived with. But no matter the insurmountable pain he carried inside, he needed to move forward, and she believed he could.

"Then maybe it's time you let yourself come back to life. Time to let yourself live again. And you _have_ started living again. I've seen it…that life. It's there. It's there every time we step out of the TARDIS and find something new, and every time we end up running for our lives in the process and loving every single second of it. You have more life inside you than anyone I've ever known." She paused and he was silent. "And yet…you could have so much _more_…"

The Doctor dropped his eyes and turned from her then. He walked back over to the widow, gazing out blankly into the black night as her words struck his armor yet fell to the ground without breaching his shield. Rose thought she had seen him feel truly alive in those mad, dizzying moments; yet he knew those moments of adventure were never examples of his life to the fullest. It was just a way to dull the pain. He recalled the words of Jabe spoken to him on Platform One:

_'Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left...'_

He wanted desperately to accept Rose's words and believe he could have what she was so simply and so innocently and so completely offering.

But he could not. Because he knew. He knew that nothing about this — nothing about him — was simple or innocent.

"Rose," he finally spoke again, his voice low and strained. "I wish I could be the man you want me to be. The man you think I'm capable of being. But I just can't."

"No, Doctor," Rose corrected with resolve. "You just _won't_."

His answer was a hoarse whisper. "I'm sorry."

Rose shook her head vigorously, refusing to let the tears behind her eyelids escape. "No, don't. Just…no."

He didn't reply or turn back around. Rose wished she could have said something more, but the words just wouldn't come. She combed a hand through her hair and suddenly felt the weariness of this entire ordeal from the moment they had crashed on this planet begin to weigh her down until she could barely stand. She didn't have the strength for this anymore. At least not tonight.

She wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes, like her heart, pulled downward. "I'm just so tired," she murmured, her words referring to so much more than the physical.

"You should sleep," the Doctor said quietly, still gazing outward into the night.

Lowering her head, Rose turned back towards the bed, feeling numb. The whirling emotions of this day had left her with too much to process here and now. Maybe tomorrow or the next day or the next she could begin the steps of trying to figure out just where they would go from here, but it was clear neither were able to do that tonight.

She blew out the candles on the bedside tables and turned back the sumptuous covers on what had been prepared as a marriage bed, slipping in beneath.

She turned on her side opposite him. Rose closed her eyes, trying desperately to think about _anything_ other than the man on the other side of the room. That proved to be impossible, though. Not after a day like today. Not when that man on the other side of the room who refused to move closer was now her _husband_.

Her husband.

Up until now, marriage was something Rose had never really even thought too much about. Before the Doctor had come into her life marriage was just something she took for granted and assumed would come someday, though she was nowhere ready for it back then. Even though she had been dating Mickey and they had been close mates, they had never gone so far as to plan a marriage. Neither one had been at a point of being ready to consider it.

Then came the Doctor who forever changed her life and any assumptions she'd once had. When she promised him her forever she meant it with every fiber of her being, and she had known exactly what such a promise meant. No settling down, no house with doors and carpets and a mortgage. And no husband. And she was fine with that. An ordinary life wasn't the one Rose wanted. And though she had never been opposed to the idea of marriage, there was only one man who occupied her thoughts when she imagined committing herself to one person. But marriage to that man wasn't something she thought would ever be possible.

Yet here they were.

Here they were with a marriage that, even if Rose had allowed herself to imagine it, she never could have conjured up something like this. And now here she was on her wedding night, lying here alone, with the man she had married on the other side of the room, unable to even look at her.

Rose felt paralyzed. They were in a state where they couldn't go forward and they couldn't go back. They couldn't move because he _wouldn't_ move. Yet even if he chose to sweep this away and somehow pretend it meant nothing, Rose knew that no amount of pretending or running or hiding could ever change or mask what she held in her heart.

When a fitful sleep finally managed to claim her, the vows she had given to the Doctor echoed through her heart and through her dreams — words she would forever hold, even if he chose to let them go.

-:-:-:-

Night crept on, and the Doctor sat on the floor beneath the window he had been gazing out of for so long, his arms resting limply across his drawn-up knees. He stared across the dim room and could make out the still form of Rose in the bed, the flickering of the firelight casting a dancing glow across her motionless shape as she slept.

Rose had asked him one question. A question now reverberating through his mind again and again: Did this mean anything to him? Did this marriage, no matter how it was brought about, and the vows he had given and received mean anything to him? As much as he had tried to tell himself this was done strictly out of necessity and fought to assign this no deeper meaning, the fact remained that it _did_ mean something to him. And that was the reason he sat here now fighting down thoughts and emotions he had always managed, at least to a point, to keep suppressed. He couldn't just step in at the wedding and do what had to be done in the moment, and then shake this off and move on as he pretended to himself he could have. It wasn't going to be that easy this time.

Rose was right. Words have power. The words she had given to him and the words he had spoken to her were not empty, meaningless phrases. Both knew this the moment they fell from each other's lips and passed into the other's soul.

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut as he scrubbed both hands down his face. What had he done?

He knew exactly what he had done.

He knew exactly what he had been doing before he did it. He was keeping Rose from another and _for_ himself. Well, now he had her. And now he refused to allow himself more. In taking more he would also open himself to giving more of him, and that was something he could never do. Not considering the things he had done that Rose would have to know and see. If he opened himself to her just a fraction more there would be no hiding it. Whether he lost her to Time or lost her if she saw the darkness within him, keeping distance between himself and Rose all came down to that fear of loss. Giving and having more meant he stood to lose _so much more_, and he had already lost far too much.

Maybe once they were back in the TARDIS and running head-long into the next adventure, moving past this would be easier for both of them. Maybe they just needed time and a little safe distance — distance a shared marriage chamber on a wedding night did not allow. The problem with that thought, though, was there didn't seem to be such a thing as 'safe distance' where Rose was concerned. Maybe there never had been. Not since her hand had taken and filled the emptiness of his own.

Emotions were a strange thing, indeed. Even though a part of him felt a sharp, painful stab of longing for what could never truly be when Rose told him her vows to him were genuine and she meant every word, another part of him had felt elation. Though both of them had instinctually known there was something fundamentally _more_ to their relationship and this connection they shared, he had never really known for sure the depth of what Rose might feel for him. He had tried not to think too hard about it, to be honest — never allowed himself to probe that deeply. They had certainly never broached the subject.

Now that he knew without a doubt that she was certain of the forever she had offered him, he wanted to claim that promise and claim Rose as his own. This thought was not one that shocked him. The thought of Rose being his and his alone was one that had stirred deep within at the mention of names like Mickey and Adam and Jack and Zerin. He wanted Rose to be his. So he had taken her hand if he could not take her heart, and he had clutched it like a lifeline.

And that's exactly what she was to him. He had once told her he had no one left, and she had become his lifeline with two words: '_There's__ me.'_

Those were not simplistic words, either. Rose had not just been a hand to hold or a set of eyes through which to show the universe. She was the one who had saved him. She saved him the day she stepped into the TARDIS and banished the vast emptiness within. She saved him again the day she came back for him, radiant and all-powerful with all that is, was and could be. If he had not known it already he would have known in that moment that Rose was so much more than a coincidence that happened into his life.

Not just anyone could have done what she did — the TARDIS would not have allowed it. The power Rose had held within had not even spared him, yet Rose held it as if she had been born for such a purpose. He believed she had. As the raw power of Time itself had flowed between them, she had even made him into the man he was now, a little less rough around the edges and even sounding a bit like the woman who owned his every thought and emotion during the moment he had become a new man because of her and for her. He had imprinted himself on her just as she had imprinted herself on his soul. He doubted he would ever even change from the man he was now as long as Rose was ever-present in his life, regardless of regeneration. Her influence on who he was now was simply too strong, and would continue to be while she remained with him.

Rose was so much more to him than he thought anyone could ever again become. She wasn't just the one who was willing to _live_ her forever with him. She was the one who had also been willing to die for him. And so he had held her close, but not too close. Because for him, too close meant that he would lose her. If she saw his true self — the blood-stained hands of the Killer of His Own Kind — how could she possibly want to stay with him for even a minute, much more a lifetime? Losing her wasn't an option and having her closer wasn't allowed.

So they held hands and they ran — a symbol of what they were: holding tightly to each other while running from more.

Until today when the running stopped and they stood facing what until now had successfully remained unspoken between them. The Doctor had never before actually allowed these thoughts to come fully to the surface. Now that they had, he wished for just one thing: strength. It was in weakness that he kept Rose at a distance. It would take strength to let her in close. He didn't have that strength, though, no matter how much he wished he did. He had said it of himself once and it was still true — coward, every time.

The Doctor slowly stood from his slumped position and walked silently closer to the bed. He stared down at Rose's sleeping face and his hearts seized painfully in his chest. He wanted to crawl inside her soul and let her bury his pain. But that was _such_ a selfish thought. He had once told her that what he needed most to get across the universe was a hand to hold. As long as he had her hand in his he could make it day by day. The unthinkable risk of losing that would keep him from ever taking more or letting her see enough of him that she would run far away. He could not risk that. Never.

If all he could have was her nearness then he would take that with both hands. Needing to at least be close and feeling the heaviness of so much more than just this day weighing on him, the Doctor moved to the other side of the bed and eased silently down beside her. His own vows repeated through his mind as he fell to sleep beside the woman he could never allow himself to have, and in irony, the woman who was now, at least for this day, his wife. Did life ever tire of mocking him?


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N **The Doctor is shaken enough to allow at least one of his protective walls to come down, despite the pain of re-opening old wounds. What Rose gives him in return has the potential to finally begin penetrating his remaining armor.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 23<span>**

Compressed beneath the weight of their emotions, a state of sleep had claimed the Doctor and Rose; yet their shared slumber was not in peace as tumultuous thoughts bled into their dreams. But their fitful slumber and the battles being waged within was soon to be overshadowed by an approaching threat from without. Holding the position of royal rule in a world where bloodshed had always surrounded the control of the throne was not always a safe place to stand. Many in Zobulan's realm now believed they stood on the cusp of lasting peace, but one close to the King had been planning to ensure the opposite.

The flickering light given off by the fire had faded to near blackness as dying embers gave the only source of muted light to the shadow-encased room. Neither the Doctor nor Rose stirred as the doors to the chamber opened noiselessly, nor did they wake as a menacing figure stalked silently closer, intent on overthrowing a kingdom.

An instant later, Rose's eyes flew open in sudden fright as a strong, smothering hand clamped over her mouth. Her mind, wrenched violently from sleep, barely even had a chance to register what was happening. A dark figure loomed over her, and the fading orange coals of the fire cast just enough light to see a flash of glinting metal as a dagger was swiftly raised and poised to come down across her throat, mere seconds now all that stood separating her from death. Before Rose could even react with defensive movement or attempt to cry out beneath the hand pressing her down and covering her mouth, a sudden flurry of movement from beside her quickly shifted the circumstances in a matter of seconds.

A second figure launched itself across the bed, across Rose, and into the cloaked attacker, both tumbling to the floor with a loud thud, followed by a crash as a pedestal beside the bed displaying a large ornate vase was caught in the impact and toppled over to the floor, shattering to pieces.

Barely breathing, Rose scrambled up and off the bed and to her feet. She could just make out the form of the second figure who she now realized was the Doctor as he wrestled with a hooded assailant in a fight to disarm and subdue the would-be assassin. Despite his slim frame, the Doctor was strong and agile with lightning-fast reflexes, and within seconds he had the attacker on his back, wrists gripped and hands pinned over his head as the Doctor struggled with him for the dagger.

Rose frantically cast her eyes around the room for anything she could use to assist the Doctor in the fight. Rose quickly grabbed a heavy candelabrum off the bedside table, but was unable to wield it and strike a blow because the Doctor's body covered most of the other person's.

"Guards!" she screamed, running to the chamber's doors and throwing them open. "Someone, please! We need help!"

Behind her, the sound of scuffling and loud grunts continued, and as she ran back over toward them, the attacker managed to maneuver and roll the Doctor beneath him. Seizing the split-second opportunity, Rose lunged forward then, striking the attacker's head with a swinging impact, delivering a forceful blow with the blunt end of the brass candelabrum still clutched in her grasp.

It stunned the man enough that the Doctor was able to roll free from beneath, but in a fraction of a second the attacker then reared up and turned, launching himself forward on his knees towards Rose, throwing her off balance as they impacted. Her back hit the stone floor with a loud crack, but she managed to keep her head from bashing back to the floor as well.

Straddling her as Rose struggled and fought beneath the attacker, legs flailing and fists beating ineffectually against his strong upper body, the dagger he still possessed was again raised to slash, but the Doctor had scrabbled to his feet and he lunged forward, catching the attacker's arms in a tight grip just as Rose freed one leg and delivered a forceful kick to the man's belly.

The sound of running was heard down the corridor outside and quickly grew louder. The chaotic struggling was immediately halted as four guards, closely followed by two more, charged into the chamber. They descended on the assailant in an instant, outnumbering and quickly subduing him.

Breathing hard, the Doctor scrambled on his hands and knees over to Rose, still laying on her back where she had been thrown to the floor, his only immediate focus on whether or not she was okay.

"Are you alright?" he panted, his hand on her shoulder and eyes roving her for injury as best he could in the near-dark.

Rose swallowed and nodded, trying to catch her breath and find her voice. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Are you?"

He nodded back, then took her carefully by the shoulders and helped lift her up into a sitting position on the floor just as a group of six more guards arrived in the room. The glowing torches in the chamber were turned up, and the Doctor moved his attention back to the hooded man who was now on his knees, restrained by the guards. The Doctor moved forward and reached out to remove the black hood and reveal the attempted killer's face.

"Amron!" Rose gasped upon seeing the King's first in command. She stood up from the floor on slightly shaky legs before taking a step back to sit heavily on the edge of the bed, still processing the hair's breadth she had been from certain death if it had not been for the Doctor's immediate actions.

The Doctor crouched to inspect the man closer. He narrowed his eyes in on the familiar Krendorian birthmarks on the back of the man's hands, grasping his right wrist to inspect one closer. "This is a tattoo," the Doctor assessed. He brought his eyes up to study the man's face. "And I believe I am correct in assuming you've no doubt undergone other types of physical alterations to modify your appearance, giving you the façade of a Krendorian as a disguise among the royal regiment," the Doctor concluded.

Amron's voice was icy and filled with malice. "I served among the ranks of the former King, willing to lay down my life, just as my men had who were slaughtered on the battlefields of Shaldon. You then claimed to seek only peace with the treaty that ended the fighting, yet I knew the Krendorians were only claiming goodwill as they sought after the throne, waiting in the wings for our aged King to pass. When you then took reign I knew the best way to monitor the enemy was to become one of them. And oh, how I served you well, rising to the top of the ranks, yet you never even suspected." His eyes flashed with deep-seated hatred. "And you thought you were loved by all," he mocked, believing he was taunting the King. "The great King Zerin, favored and accepted even by the Jezrians."

"So your plan of infiltration was to monitor, but your heart is so full of hatred that you didn't hesitate to resort to killing when it suited you. And how long have you planned this against me? Against Zobulan?" the Doctor demanded as he stood to full height, maintaining the belief that he was Zerin. "Are you so opposed to peace that you would resort to murder, to bringing yet another war by attempting to overthrow the kingdom – a kingdom that has now ushered in the peace long foretold?"

"This is not peace!" Amron bit out, his teeth clenched. "This is the Krendorians forever having their foot on the throat of the Jezrians, the rightful rulers of Zobulan. This _union_," he continued with venom, steely eyes now turned on Rose, "means the Krendorian line would forever claim right to the throne. It matters not that their blood would be diluted through an outsider. The Jezrians would still be subjugated and stripped of the crown."

"But even your own people have long accepted what was foretold about his union," Rose countered.

"_Not_ if it comes through a Krendorian monarchy!" he seethed. "There may be Jezrians who accept this – those who are weak and desperate for peace at any price. But I am _not_ the only one who would gladly die to see a Krendorian-dominated kingdom brought down. The foretelling was meant to come to pass through a _Jezrian_ kingdom. Let the Krendorians be the ones to accept such a union on that day!"

"And so the dissension would continue," the Doctor said, then looked to Rose. They both knew now more than ever that the union brought about between Zerin and Shadarra and the joining of the two bloodlines was the only sure way to bring about a ruling house that would be accepted by both races. Despite the issues raised which now stood between the Doctor and Rose, in the midst of all this they had at least helped to bring about what would soon be a monumental transformation for this realm.

"Take him away," the Doctor ordered. When Zerin returned Amron's fate could be dealt with. For now, he wanted the man who had been a breath away from murdering Rose locked far away from her.

Amron was led from the room, but one of the guards remained and turned to the Doctor. "Are either one of you injured, Your Majesty, Your Highness? Shall I summon the physician?"

The Doctor looked back to Rose again and she shook her head.

"No, we're fine," the Doctor assured him. "You may go."

The officer bowed before turning and leaving the chamber. The Doctor followed behind him and this time bolted the door from the inside, not taking any chances. Amron had apparently been working alone in the attempted assassination, but any possible unrest other Jezrians might be feeling was not going to be quelled until the Doctor could bring Zerin and Shadarra back here the next day, their revealed union the only true solution that would be fully accepted by everyone.

The Doctor also wasn't taking any chances in regards to Rose being uninjured. He went over to the discarded tunic he had worn that was draped across a chair and removed the sonic screwdriver from where he had tucked it in an inner pocket.

He walked back over to Rose where she sat and swept the whirring device up and down her length.

"Said 'M fine," Rose spoke quietly, the thick tension between them returning now that they were once again alone, despite the vicious distraction of what had just taken place, which left them both still feeling rattled.

"I'm just being certain," the Doctor answered as he studied the results. "Adrenaline can often mask an injury." The adrenaline was indeed coursing through her system with each rapid beat of her heart, but there were no internal injuries or fractures, he confirmed to his relief.

"I s'pose you were right, then," Rose said quietly, gazing briefly up at him and then back down. "A joining of the two races of Zobulan is the only royal line that could ever really satisfy everyone."

The Doctor turned away, replacing the sonic screwdriver in the pocket he had retrieved it from. "Well, quite a few might have accepted what seemed to be the fulfilling of the 'Ancient Legend' regardless of which line it reached its completion through. Especially those already longing so desperately for lasting peace. But unfortunately there would always be those like Amron who would never be satisfied if one of their own was not represented on the throne," he concluded, turning back toward her.

"Well, thankfully for the people of Zobulan you're good at finding unlikely solutions," she offered with a slight smile. Rose knew the combined lineage of Zerin and Shadarra would soon transform the kingdom, and despite all else she couldn't help but allow herself to smile at this, at least. The Doctor often managed to initiate the seemingly impossible.

The Doctor ducked his head, then turned and walked silently over to the carved stone pedestal that had been knocked over in the struggle. He stood it back in place, then picked up a few shards of the broken vase, removing the sharp pieces from the floor. His back was still to her when he spoke again, quietly, honestly. "I'm not always right about everything, though. I can't always fix things. Sometimes just the opposite." He drew a deep, shuddering breath. "Sometimes...sometimes all I manage to do is destroy."

Rose felt a stab of deep pain for him, his words as broken as the porcelain in his hands. She wasn't sure if he was speaking of the past, the present or both. "Doctor, you haven't destroyed anything here," she answered, her voice soft but insistent. Yes, they had significant issues to face here that could no longer be ignored. But she wasn't giving up on believing they could make this work. She wasn't giving up on believing in _them_.

The Doctor gave a short laugh that came out a bitter, hollow sound. He set the shards aside but kept his back to her, the tension radiating off the rigid lines of his body as his voice came out low and painfully tight. "Haven't I? And how are we supposed to fix this and go back from here? How do we go back to how things w–"

"We don't," Rose cut in. Earlier she had been too exhausted to keep going 'round with this. Maybe it was the adrenaline still flooding her system from the attack, but right now Rose was resolved to face this right here, right now, head-on. "We don't go _back_, Doctor. I don't want to go back. I want to go _forward_, with you...," to be absolutely clear to him in what she meant, Rose spoke three more words she once never imagined she would be in a position to say, "...as my husband."

The Doctor drew in a sharp breath as his emotions surged through him like a swelling tidal wave, threatening to drown them both if it finally broke free. Did she even grasp the danger? Rose was asking for fire as she faced down the hearts of the Storm.

The echo of Rose's words filled the weighted silence suspended between them. The Doctor stood motionless and rigid as steel, his back still toward her. This wouldn't do, Rose knew. She needed him to look in her eyes as she said this. "Doctor, look at me," she quietly but firmly requested.

He turned slowly, reluctantly. The eyes that met hers were dark and his jaw tensely set. The attacker may have been seized and taken from the room, but the Doctor was still engaged in a fight. This time he was fighting that same age-old enemy that he had never quite managed to conquer or reach peace with: Himself.

Rose locked onto his stormy eyes with her own and continued steadfastly. "You said that I wouldn't want to be with you if I really knew you. Why don't you let me decide that for myself? Because I _do_ know you. I know just the kind of a man you are inside. And I don't care about anything in the past because I know that there is _nothing_ that could ever change how I–"

He abruptly cut her off, turning sharply and taking a few distancing steps further away across the room. "Rose, you just don't know. You _really_ don't. You have _no_ idea. And you don't know what you're asking for."

"You're right," she responded back with intensity. "I _don't_ know. I don't know those things you're holding back because you won't let me in, even a little. You hold it all inside and let it kill you. You're your own judge, jury and executioner for any and all wrong you think you've ever committed. But you do _not_ bear the responsibility for the entire universe, Doctor, no matter how much you might try to force yourself to carry it."

"I only carry the burdens that I deserve," he answered darkly, self-bitterness evident in his tone as he kept his back to her, walled off.

"You don't have to carry them alone," she replied with gentle insistence, her eyes on him even though his back was still on her.

He shook his head in refusal, his voice hoarse. "Rose, I would never, ever make you–"

"It's not about _making_ me. This is about _letting_ me. It's about letting someone be there for you in a way you've never allowed because you think you don't deserve it, but you _do_." She couldn't bear this distance any more. Rose stood to her feet to move toward him but hissed involuntarily in pain as she did so.

This brought the Doctor back around to face her, his expression still hard and emotions chained, but noticeable concern flickering across his dark eyes. "You're hurt," he stated, taking a step towards her.

_We both are, in more ways than one, _she inwardly replied. Rose shook her head. "I'm alright."

He pressed his lips together in a thin line, a scowl coming over his features as he looked her up and down, as if he could detect evidence of the contrary just by looking at her rigid stance. He knew her reply wasn't true, but he also knew he was the last person to call someone out for claiming they were alright when they were not. That was his patented line, after all.

He retrieved the sonic screwdriver and came back over to Rose, everything else between them put on hold until this, at least, was tended to. "Where are you hurt?" he asked, his voice falling gentle but his eyes firm.

Rose sighed heavily. He was going to insist on fixing _this_ but nothing else? Her voice was toneless as she brushed it off. "I'm just a little sore from falling back on the floor. I'm fine, though. I didn't even notice it 'till I moved."

His eyes narrowed in as he moved around to stand beside her. "Is it your back, then?"

"Yeah," she confirmed in resignation, knowing he wouldn't let this go until he felt he had fixed it. She just wished he had the same determination to resolve other things as well.

He switched on the sonic and ran it slowly over her. "Did you hit your head?"

"No. Caught myself enough to stop that, at least. Just my back."

"Sit down," he said quietly, guiding her back to the edge of the bed as he lowered himself down to sit beside her. He placed a light but probing touch to the center of her back and she winced. "I'm sorry. You're badly bruised, but I can take care of it."

"Like before," she spoke quietly, biting her lip as she recalled the intimacy of him tending her bruises even when he couldn't see them, relying on his touch and her guidance.

He swallowed thickly as his mind replayed the same incident. "Yes. Like before." He formed a tentative question. "Will you let me...?"

Rose nodded wordlessly, and was then glad she hadn't answered with words because they would have caught in her throat as his hands swept her hair aside and went to her back. She realized then the full extent of what he was asking permission for. How exactly was this going to work, then? A gesture so intimate while he was still remaining so distant.

His fingers moved to the top of the crisscrossing laces, undoing the back closure of the silken ivory gown. He slowly pulled the laces free, sucking in a sharp breath as her upper back was revealed to him. Her fair skin was marred with harsh red and purple bruises already forming across the expanse of her back where her upper body had been slammed against the unforgiving stone floor.

Rose could feel her heart rate speed up as each lace was tugged open, revealing more of her skin. Despite the complications between them at the moment, she found it nearly impossible to focus on anything else right now other than his proximity and the touch of his hands, and this time his eyes upon her bare flesh. He moved lower, stopping only when the last closure was undone as he reached the small of her back. The parted gown slid from her shoulders and Rose caught it in front at her chest, clutching it to her to keep the upper half from falling away completely. The sonic was switched on, and Rose felt a warm tingling as he began methodically running the soothing beam over her bruised skin.

The Doctor felt a tightness in the pit of his stomach clamp down hard as he surveyed her injuries. Life itself was so very, very fragile. He could have so easily lost her this very night. A mere second more, a few inches closer with the dagger and Rose would have been gone. She would have been dead. He wouldn't have been healing her bruises right now; he would have been holding her lifeless body in his arms with nothing that could have been done to bring her back to him.

And she would have never known.

Rose would have died having never truly known the man for whom she had given up her life on Earth to be with. She had asked to know more about him, for him to let her in, even just a little. He had denied her this because he didn't want to face those darkest of things, and he was afraid that if she knew then she would turn away in horror. He could not bear the thought of losing her. Yet he could still lose her – so, so easily in countless ways, and he would have never had the courage to tell her the truth about himself. She deserved the truth. She deserved that much, if he could give her nothing more.

His fingers lightly brushed over a patch of smooth pink skin where the bruising was fading beneath the sonic's treatment.

Rose shivered as he touched her, all of her awareness concentrated on this one point of contact, but she then became focused on his voice as he spoke, so soft that it would have been undetectable if he hadn't been so close.

His voice cracked as he uttered a single word he had yet to share with her. A word that tore open deep, ugly wounds that had never and would never fully heal. "Gallifrey."

Rose felt another shiver course through her, and an aching tug deep inside. Something about that one word resonated within her, but she didn't know why. It was like the song that had filled her as the power of Time had once flowed through her being, but the words were now elusive to her.

"That was the name of my planet. My home." His voice was thick with emotion as he continued. "Oh, I wish you could have seen it, Rose, that old planet. The sky...just the sky alone was breathtaking. I see glimpses of it sometimes looking out across a fiery sunset. It was a burnt orange, and beneath that vibrant sky was the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains would go on for an eternity – slopes of deep red grass, capped with gleaming, spotless snow." The Doctor drew a shaking breath as he fought back anguished tears, his voice trembling. "The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine, glorious and radiant. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. Then when the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song..."

Rose closed her eyes as the image filled her mind. She could see it. She could see it and she nearly wept for his unimaginable loss. But she forcibly swallowed down the lump in her throat and remained silent in this solemn moment as he shared this part of himself with her he had kept shielded for so long, buried under painful scars.

"It was...Rose, it was beautiful. So beautiful. It used to be called the Shining World of the Seven Systems. And on the Continent of Wild Endeavour, in the Mountains of Solace and Solitude, there stood the Citadel of the Time Lords. The oldest and most mighty race in the universe, looking down on the galaxies below."

The Doctor continued healing her bruises even as his own wounds were opened and gaping. His hand left her back, feeling unworthy to touch her, to taint her with the blood on his hands as he continued speaking, his broken voice now growing dark. "And it burned. We fought a war for the sake of all creation and lost. Gallifrey burned and fell. And everyone..._everyone_ died. Every last one but me. I've told you I was the only one left. But I'm not the only survivor because of some grand stroke of luck. I'm the only one who survived because I'm the one who ended the War by...by killing everyone else. _I_ did. I killed them all, Rose. Me. Every last one of my people, wiped out of existence. Maybe I don't bear the responsibility for the entire universe...," Rose could hear him swallow hard as he paused, his voice cracking. "But I am the one responsible for the death of multitudes, for the lives I've taken. _That_ is who I am, Rose."

He switched off the sonic and lowered it. His hand fell to his lap and his gaze rested there, blankly, his eyes hollow.

Rose tugged the sleeves of her gown back up her shoulders and turned to the side to face him, though he would not look at her. What he had told her had not come as a shock. She knew his guilt and pain over the War ran inconceivably deep. She could scarcely imagine how one person could carry such a burden of pain and survive. She also knew whatever actions he took were done because he had no other choice.

She may never be able to remove his guilt or his pain. She could never give him back his world or his people. But she could give him the forgiveness that he could never give himself. "And now you think I'll hate you because of this. You think I'll see you as some sort of monster, a merciless killer."

"Don't you?" he questioned bitterly.

Rose placed her hand over his. He tried to pull away but she held him, curling her fingers around his. "No. I don't see you that way because that is _not_ who you are."

His voice shook. "Rose, I've just told you that I..."

"That you did what _had_ to be done. You made a choice no one should _ever_ have to make. But tell me just one more thing. If you hadn't ended the War, Doctor, if you hadn't stopped it as you had, would everyone have lived?"

He fought against the answer but he knew it was true. He had known it then, which was why he was left with no other option. "No."

"No," she repeated. "You did what you did not to take lives, but to save as many lives as possible because _that_ is who you are. You said it was a War for the sake of all creation, and all creation is still living because you brought the War to an end in the only way that was possible." Rose placed her second hand over the first, dipping her head to catch his downcast eyes. "Do you really think I could hate you for that? Do you really think that I should?"

He looked into her eyes then, his own shining with unshed tears. "You should." His chin quivered as a broken smile tried to form. How could she not see him as he saw himself? This was one of the wondrous things about her he would never fully grasp. "But when have you ever done what you should, Rose Tyler? You should have lived a fantastic life on Earth, safe and sound where I had sent you after Satellite Five to keep you protected. You should have just let the TARDIS collect dust as the world moved on." He shook his head in wonder. "But you didn't. You didn't do any of those things, even if you should have. Even if you should have left me long ago."

They stared at each other in silence for the span of several heartbeats. The Doctor despised himself for his actions in the War and couldn't comprehend that anyone else would not feel that same way towards him once they knew. How could anyone not? If Rose had knowingly killed every single person on the face of the Earth, could _he_ ever look at her without seeing the Bringer of Death? Yet that's what he was. The Killer of His Own Kind. He had so feared that Rose would turn from him the day she truly knew. Yet here she was, saving him again. The Doctor squeezed her hand in his, hardly believing she was still here and had not turned away.

Yet for Rose, this had never and would never even be a consideration. The Doctor believed he deserved for her to leave him, and Rose could see in his eyes the disbelief that she hadn't. He really could be so thick sometimes. Rose breathed out a small laugh, a watery sound as tears splashed down her cheeks. "_Oh_, you daft alien. I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm _never_ gonna leave you. It's time you finally believed that."

Rose pulled her hands from his and brought her arms around him, holding him tight. The Doctor's arms came up around her a second later, pulling her closer. He buried his face in the side of her hair, squeezing his eyes shut. He shuddered against her as he breathed out an uneven breath. The Doctor felt a flood of words rising up and wanting to spill over. There was so much more he wanted to say to her, but he didn't even know where or how to begin. 'Thank you' just didn't seem to be nearly enough, and the other words rising up, the ones he had kept silenced for so long, were as terrifying to him as the things he had just revealed had been, in some ways even more so. He didn't even have the voice to speak at the moment. And so he just held her, hoping that if he could just hold on tight enough her promise would be true and he would not lose her as he had everyone else.

One hand rested at the base of her neck and the other swept up her back, gripping her shoulder as he held tightly. He felt Rose shiver beneath him and then registered that she was still uncovered in the back, her gown gaping open. He eased back a little, his hands still on her bare skin. The urge to have her closer – to feel more of her flesh upon his and confirm that she was here, she was real and she was alive – was so strong in this moment that if he didn't rein himself in...

"I..." His voice was hoarse, so he cleared his throat and spoke again. "Here, let me..." His words trailed off as he pulled her gown together for her at the back.

Rose swallowed down hard and nodded slightly. She shifted around and turned her back to him, brushing her hair aside and out of the way. His hand skimmed down her spine as he reached the lowest lace and took it between his fingers. She couldn't suppress the tremor that ran through her from his touch upon her skin as he began to re-bind the laces. He was re-establishing distance between them even as each brush of his fingertips was one of the most intimate. Both were thrumming with charged emotion that had their thoughts in a whirlwind, but Rose had never been more clear on what she wanted – what she needed; and distance between them was not it. Not now. Not after all of this.

The silence between them was heavy and intense, and the single phrase Rose longed to speak was repeating through her mind again and again until it was ringing in her ears and drowning out all other sound, all other thought. This would forever change where they stood, but as far as Rose was concerned that had already happened the moment they had been declared husband and wife.

She had to say it.

These words had been suppressed for so long because they were too difficult to speak due to complications and crossing lines and a dozen other reasons that now seemed like nothing more than utter rubbish at best. Suddenly _not_ speaking them was far more difficult than letting them free.

Though they came out as a hushed whisper, they were of the most powerful words ever uttered from one to another. "Doctor, I love you."


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N **Basically, an entire chapter of the Doctor and Rose doing...what they should have been doing all along. ;) This was originally going to be combined with the chapter that follows, but that one is still a work in progress since I'm essentially writing it twice to provide two options for the rating. The next chapter will be heavily edited down here, but the unedited Mature version will be posted on Teaspoon.

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><p><strong>Chapter 24<strong>

_Though they came out as a hushed whisper, they were of the most powerful words ever uttered from one to another. "Doctor, I love you."_

If Rose could have planned the perfect moment to finally speak those three words to the Doctor, this would not have been it. Not because she wasn't more than ready to open her heart to him fully without holding back, but because their current positions didn't allow her to even see his response, and all she had to go by as a guide was the deafening silence accompanying her words as they continued to echo back loudly in her ears.

The Doctor's fingers on the laces of her gown had instantly stilled, and there was no sound, no movement from him. Rose suddenly felt as if her chest was constricting inward, tighter and tighter until she could barely breathe. She wanted, _needed_ to turn and look into his eyes – those eyes which had the ability to communicate more than mere words ever could; but at the same time she was so afraid of what she might see. They had shared so much more between them in the span of this one night than they ever had yet, but maybe this was just too much – these words far too much and meant to remain as they had been, carried within but never uttered, never spoken.

And for the Doctor the words _were_ too much. Too much for him to now bury and continue on as if he had not been affected, not been shaken to the core that these words could come at such a time, on the heels of allowing Rose to glimpse the darkness buried within him. The Doctor's threads of control had been snapping one by one, and that final thread began to fray and give way.

The intense silence following her potent declaration was too much for Rose to bear. She had to see into the Doctor's eyes, to either quell her fears of rejection or to magnify them, but she _had_ to see. Nearly trembling, Rose moved to turn, to face him, but his hands stilled her. Abandoning any attempt or thought to re-lace her gown, his left hand moved up to cup her shoulder as his right hand slid down her arm, then around her waist, drawing her closer and holding her to him in an embrace that made her soul ache for him, to be allowed closer still.

His words then came low and hushed, the vibration of his chest passing through her back as he all but whispered, "You shouldn't."

Rose shook her head faintly. Would this man ever learn how to simply stop fighting this – stop fighting himself? If she had to be his teacher, so be it. Rose gathered her resolve and managed to form a reply. "Do you know just how late...how _much_ too late it is for that?"

His reply, voice deep and emotional, was both predictably vague and astonishingly honest. "I think I do."

Rose paused for a breath and tried to speak again, to say _something_ more, or to even find the courage to repeat those words that had brought them to this moment, but it came out as a shuddering exhale of air.

"Shhh," he whispered to her, a soft breath against her ear. "Just...stay."

There was only one reply for her to give. "Forever."

His embrace tightened as she sank back willingly into him. The tangible reality of his arms around her soothed down some of her fear that she had gone that final step too far and that he would finally turn and run from this.

And the urge to flee while he was still capable of doing so _was_ pulsing a warning in mauve at the back of the Doctor's mind; yet it warred against the white-hot urge to draw so much closer than he had ever dared. For just this moment, at least, he wasn't running. Even though a very large part of him was sounding alarm bells and saying this was far, far, far too dangerous a path to tread. But it was too late for that now and he knew it. It had been too late to turn back from this long before this night.

And he was_ so_ _tired_ of running.

So tired of losing.

So tired of holding himself back from ever having what he wanted most.

Just a touch, he told himself. Just one. He would just allow himself one touch more, one touch closer than he had before, and this time a touch and taste of Rose that had nothing to do with taking death from her lips as a selfless hero. This was about taking _life_, selfish as it might be. Maybe this would be enough to dull the ache which was becoming a slow and steady burn.

The side of his face pressed to her head, and he lost himself in her potent, intoxicating scent, filling his lungs with her essence that his entire being craved. He let himself become immersed in it, drown in it as he breathed her into himself. He brushed his face lower and nuzzled his nose to the side of her soft, warm cheek, her flesh aflame with the hot blood coursing through her veins.

Rose sat motionless and barely breathing, afraid that one move would shatter the tenuous intimacy that suddenly existed between them. His warm breath puffed out against her cheek through parted lips, and the urge to turn into his lips, to close that minute distance, was almost overpowering her. Then his lips touched her cheek, so soft, just a whisper, but the intimate contact sent a powerful jolt through her body.

"Rose...," he whispered her name, the single needful word caressing her skin, and Rose was no longer able to resist the magnetic pull towards him – the pull that had always existed but was now far too powerful to subdue. She turned her head, his nose gliding across her cheek as her face moved to his. At this blurred proximity, she could just make out his half-lidded eyes, black pupils almost entirely overtaking the brown of his irises.

Something powerful and crackling shifted in the air. Time itself seemed to bend around them and leave them untouched by its progression so that they remained suspended in this one moment. He was waiting, she knew, for her to make the next move. Whatever happened next, he would not take this. She had to give it.

And she did.

A fraction of a movement was all it took to finally, _finally_ breach that divide. Rose pressed her full lips to his, her body sinking further into him as their mouths joined in perfect union. For the span of several heartbeats neither one moved. Neither was able. This single sensation from this one intimate point of contact temporarily left them both powerless.

Then Rose finally moved, driven by instinct as old as Time and fueled by insuppressible need. Slowly, her lips moved and slid against his, hyper-aware of every sensation the movement created – the fullness of his lips, their perfect shape molded to hers, the softness and coolness against her own burning mouth – she cataloged every element so that if this never happened again, she would never _ever_ forget this one moment.

His mouth was soft and pliant beneath hers, but other than his fingers curling more tightly into her shoulder he didn't move, he didn't respond back. Rose felt a strong mixture of emotions – a deep flash of disappointment, a rush of embarrassment, yet a feeling of utter surprise that he had even allowed this much without stopping her or turning away.

It was Rose who drew back with a soft sound of release. Her eyes slowly opened, and when they found his, she saw that he was already focused on her intensely, and the powerful look within his eyes made her breath catch and come to a halt on its way up her throat. It was a look of hunger, almost ferocity. It was the look of a man staring down what he was desperate for. So much so that he might actually reach out and grasp it, possess it. And she was offering him this.

She was offering and he was taking, and she barely had time to pull in a breath before his lips were on hers again, firm and seeking and driven.

His arm around her waist moved up to grasp her other shoulder and pulled, urging as she turned more fully into him. One knee came to rest on his thigh as she faced him on the bed. Both his hands went to her face, angling her head for access to what had been denied for so long. Rose gripped at his shoulders, steadying herself as she felt her head begin to spin under the onslaught of passion finding release. When his tongue slipped out between his lips, she couldn't suppress a whimper which soon became a deep groan as he traced with precision the circumference of her lips, first the top, then the bottom. He prodded the slackened seal of her lips and she opened freely to him as they merged deeply, his right hand sliding through her hair to come to rest as an anchor at the base of her head.

Neither could think beyond this instant nor weigh what might come next if this progressed. They simply let this single moment of longing meeting release break over them, sweeping them along in its current. His cool tongue sought and found hers, drawing her out. It was a shared dance of discovery that had them both burning and hungering for more. Soft sounds rose in their throats, passed between them and merged as one with every touch, every sweet, intoxicating taste. His left hand drifted from her face and skimmed down her side, reaching her waist and urging her closer still. Rose moved fully atop him then, the hem of her long gown pooling around them as she straddled his lap, one knee on either side of his thighs.

His hand roamed back up her side, across her shoulder, fingertips trailing up her throat and to her jaw, cupping her face as he explored her in a way that let her know just how much he craved her. No words were needed for this to be understood. His questing tongue traced the smooth line of her upper teeth, then swirled across the roof of her mouth, and Rose moaned deeply, clutching him tighter. His tongue moved lower, dipping behind her bottom lip before withdrawing his tongue altogether in favor of pulling her lower lip into his mouth, taking it gently between his teeth as pleasure and a rush of fervent desire rippled through her, before his tongue again moved to caressed the plump flesh in a long, sweeping stroke.

His explorations left Rose craving more of him. A powerful ache was steadily building deep inside her, desperate to join her soul with his. She wanted him. All of him. His beautiful inner light and his ugly demons – all that the Doctor was and had ever been, she wanted him wholly. She didn't even know his name. So much about this alien – this powerful being of Time – was still a mystery, yet she loved this man so, so much to the point that she could barely breathe in the wake of its unleashing.

She wanted to know every part of him previously withheld – wanted to taste and explore every crevice of his cool mouth as he had hers. Her burning tongue plunged into his mouth, tasting and devouring and learning of him in this way she thought she would never be allowed. He tasted of cool spring rain and warm spiced tea, both quenching her thirst and leaving her parched for more. She drank him in, relishing every gorgeous sound she elicited from him in response, noting which flick of her tongue or suckle of her lips made him tremor, redoubling her efforts. She marveled at this perfection the two were able to create between them, yet had always known this was how it could be if ever allowed. His seeking tongue chased after hers as she drew back a fraction, and Rose captured it, suckling the tip of his tongue before releasing and closing her mouth around his full bottom lip, nibbling and suckling as his hands tangled in her hair, a deep, low groan rumbling through his chest. She wanted to hear that sound again and again. Now that she had been privy to it, once could _never_ be enough.

Yet her lungs were burning and she needed to breathe, feeling as breathless and starved for oxygen as she would if she had just been running flat out for miles. Rose pulled back, placing a succession of moist kisses to his swollen lips between gulping breaths of air, kisses he returned with fervor, barely affording her a chance to breathe.

They slowly stilled, foreheads pressed together and chests heaving. Both his hands moved up to frame her face as he tipped her head up slightly, her eyes opening to look into his, black and fathomless and shining.

He simply gazed into her eyes, spellbound, hers having transformed into pools of warmth and love and passion – and all for him. How could he have thought one touch from this woman could _ever_ be enough? Yet if they went further, could he ever breathe again without her?

"Rose," he whispered again, still breathless, his voice ragged. "This can end here," he offered, and Rose felt her stomach tighten then drop. "We don't have to go any further. We can stay as we've been and nothing has to change."

"It already has," she whispered back, still laboring to breathe. "_Everything_ has changed. And I want this. I want _you_. All of you. I love you so much that it makes me ache inside," she confessed as he sucked in a breath, those three words again rocketing through them both. "And if you want me too then I'm yours. Always. Just yours." Rose leaned back from him just slightly, her hands sliding from his shoulders to rest on his chest. Her gown was still open in the back and one of the sleeves had fallen off her shoulder, barely concealing her from him. Yet being concealed – physically and emotionally – was the battle they were fighting to overcome. Her next action was not a tactic of seduction but an offering of pure, open surrender to this man whom she loved with the very depths of her soul. Though it had taken courage, he had already bared a deep, hidden part of himself to her, and Rose needed him to know she would withhold nothing from him now. She was his, if that was what he wanted. And she would place herself in the most vulnerable position yet to let him know this without a doubt.

With her eyes fixed on his, her hands moved up to her own shoulders, then slid down her arms as she pushed lower, catching the gown with her fingers and slipping it from her body, off her other shoulder, down her arms, her chest, until it gathered at her waist. Rose dipped her head as she slipped her arms free.

Nearly trembling now, she swallowed hard and lifted her eyes back to his. His dark eyes were wide, mouth slack and parted. His eyes were locked on hers for several of the most intense seconds of her life, but then broke free, slowly traveling down her uncovered body as his nostrils flared. Rose felt a hot rush of blood flood her face, a fiery blush coloring her cheeks and chest, and she had to fight the impulse to bring her arms up and cover herself. She had never felt so exposed while at the same time so consumed with desire. She couldn't hide it. Her skin was flushed from the rush of arousal flooding through her. If he actually touched her now like this she thought she just might die from the intensity if just his eyes upon her alone was anything to go by, but if he was now going to reject her at such a moment, that just might kill her as well. All she knew was that she couldn't survive this agonizing silence much longer, not knowing what he was going to say or do.

Rose took her lower lip between her teeth and bit down until she nearly drew blood. She pulled in a breath and forced herself to speak. "I'm yours," she repeated, echoing her earlier declaration. "I want you and I need you and I _love_ you. I'm done hiding and done pretending. And whatever _you_ want, whatever you need, I–"

His swift movement caused her to gasp. In an instant she found herself on her back against the bed, lying beneath him as his body hovered over hers. His hands were planted on either side of her head, strong arms supporting himself above her. He just stared down at her for several silent moments. As his dark, intense eyes searched hers Rose actually thought he was now going to pull away and end this. Doubts and second thoughts had caught back up with him and overtaken him yet again, she thought. But then she saw something break within his guarded eyes just seconds before his mouth lowered to hers.

Just before touching, he whispered the words of his answer across her lips, and the desperation in his voice alone told them both there was no stopping this now. "I need _you_."


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N **In order to be extra cautious, I'm upping the rating to M due to this one chapter, but this chapter is heavily edited down with most physical descriptions taken out. It makes the emotions here difficult to adequately express when detached from the actions accompanying them, but the cost allows this to remain non-explicit. The complete, Mature version of this chapter is posted on my account at _A Teaspoon and An Open Mind_.

The Doctor is about to go further with Rose than ever anticipated, with lasting repercussions.

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><p><strong>Chapter 25<br>**

The second the confession slipped past the Doctor's lips, his mouth was on hers again, barely affording her a chance to assimilate his words in the wake of his fervent actions. A spiraling wave of dizziness crashed over Rose with the realization that the Doctor was kissing her again with such passion, and the fact that this was _actually_ happening between them, no holding back. Considering the years spent leading up to this, it was almost too much to comprehend all in a single moment, and the only thing she could do was hold on tight as a swelling river of emotion swept her up in its powerful current.

The Doctor's mouth left hers, only for his soft lips to brush across her cheek, her nose, each eyelid, her temple, before returning to her lips as the sensations he was creating within her spiked. Her hands went to his scalp, fingers threading through the thick chocolate strands of his gorgeously-tousled hair, attempting to hold on to him, to this moment, to her _sanity_ as he drove her gloriously insane with his skillful tongue alone. He moved down to her neck and began to whisper into her skin between open-mouthed kisses. His voice was muffled and she could barely make out the words over the sound of her own heaving breaths. But then she caught the essence of his words spoken in hushed fragments.

The confession of his need for her, penetrating his defenses and penetrating her heart.

Hot tears stung her eyes as he repeated the words to her on a hushed breath.

Try as he might, the Doctor couldn't seem to stop this – to stop himself. That ever-present line of division between them was being obliterated, and even though the damaged and scarred part of himself he kept fiercely guarded was still warning him and sounding the alarm to retreat, in this one moment he was beyond resisting, beyond fighting, beyond trying.

After a moment, he stopped and eased back, heavy eyes locking onto hers.

Despite what was breaking free and passing between them, there was again uncertainty lurking in the depths of his eyes, and Rose sought to chase it away, lifting her head and tilting her face to press her parted lips to his.

When she eased back, the question in his eyes reached his lips. "Is this okay, Rose?"

She swallowed down hard. He really need not ask, but the question robbed her of breath just the same. Rose nodded, but he seemed to need more than this, so she forced the words of consent to her voice, uncaring if it sounded like a desperate plea. "Yes. Please, Doctor. I want this. I want _you_."

A ragged breath left his lungs as his lips descended back down to hers. Lifting up and bracing himself on one elbow, he lifted his hand and ran just the tips of his fingers down her arm, past her elbow, and encircled her wrist. He lifted her hand, cradling it in his. He eased himself up on his knees beside her and turned her palm upward, trailing a single finger down the smallest one of hers, back up to her palm and repeating the motion until he had traced each finger. He then lifted her hand to his mouth, wrenching a sharp breath from her lungs as each digit was taken into his mouth one by one and adored. This wasn't just about passion, Rose understood. These fingers were the first part of her he had ever touched, the first place they had ever joined as one when he took her hand in his and together they ran. This hand which filled the emptiness of his own was precious to him, and he gave the adoration that was due.

By the time he had finished his focused attention on just her hand alone, Rose was quivering, and he'd yet to even touch her more intimately. Rose wondered if she could remain coherent when he finally did.

He placed her arm back down and eased himself down on his side next to her, so close but not quite touching, as if those walls between them were still falling, but had yet to tumble all the way. For now, Rose managed to hold herself in check and let him take the lead, removing those barriers a stone at a time with careful precision. With intensity in his eyes, his hand drifted out towards her then. A solitary finger traced along the soft features of her face. She knew he was committing every inch of her to sacred memory, memorizing what he had thought could never be his, what even now she knew he feared could only be his for a breath; and she allowed him this.

"Doctor...," she whispered, half encouraging and half pleading. The intensity between them was becoming unbearable.

That single word drove him on. His traveling fingers moved again to places never before explored by him. Rose tried to focus on pulling air into her lungs as he traced circular patterns with his sensitive fingertips.

"You're beautiful, Rose," he whispered to her with the awe of beholding the first light a newborn star. "Perfect in every way, just as I always knew you were..."

The slightly coherent portion of her brain registered the meaning of his words, and she realized this meant he had thought of her in this way before, imagined what she would look like if revealed to him. That thought alone was enough to make her tremble, if his touch hadn't already elicited that very response.

The thought of this had never made it beyond the realm of her fantasies. As her fantasy became vivid, living reality, Rose realized her imagination had been an extremely poor substitute by comparison.

When Rose thought it was Zerin she would be marrying, she had known she would not give herself to him on this night. She just could not, and would have faced whatever consequences might have come for taking such a position. Yet now she freely gave this part of herself to the only man who had such a right to receive all that she was.

That man was currently liquefying her from the inside out with his eyes alone.

"Rose, look at me," the Doctor gently commanded, forcing himself to regain some shred of control. Her eyes flew back open and found his, dark and solemn. "Are you sure?" he asked, needing to know, or perhaps, she thought, looking for one last escape from this. But it was far too late for that – for either of them.

Rose nodded, her words a second later coming out miraculously stronger than she felt in this moment of dissolving. There had never been any question in her mind what she wanted. "Yes. I'm sure. I told you, I want this with you. I want to share _everything_ with you."

She could see indecision still lurking in his eyes, yet unguarded longing and desire also flared within them like the striking of a match. He needed her as much as she needed him.

Being allowed this nearly broke him, shattering the tenuous remains of restraint. He breathed out her name, and it came out a rough and ragged plea. He claimed her mouth with his, consuming, yet both knowing this was an eternal hunger that could never be satiated. It was like he was a starving man and she was his only sustenance.

Almost in contrast to his desperate kisses, his hand moved to caress her, fingers moving with slow, rhythmic precision as he learned every millimeter. He was exploring so slowly, so meticulously, so gently, and Rose knew. She knew the reason for his lingering caress. Each touch he gave told the aching story. The language of his hands said this was the first and last time they would ever do this, and he was slowly burning this into his memory. He had given her his vows, and for Rose that was everything she ever needed. But he could never feel it was enough, while paradoxically being far more than he could ever continue to hold open his soul and give.

And the Doctor knew she sensed this – was connected just enough that she could. Every barrier, physically and mentally, was tumbling at an alarming rate, pulling them closer on every level. His mind which lived with the consuming ache of solitude could sense the very edge of hers, vibrant and magnetizing, leaving him entranced and yearning to join every part of himself with her. But he _dare_ not delve further into this one place. Not ever. He knew what such a connection would mean if he allowed himself even just one touch of Rose's mind in this way. And how could this ever continue to happen between them and he _not_ ultimately pour his soul into hers?

So he gave her what he was able to give on this one night. He gave her pleasure even as he caused her soul pain. He could never partake of her again and again and allow her to lose a little more of herself to him each time, just as he would lose himself to her until he feared there would be nothing left of either of them. She would be consumed by his darkness, while any life within him would be lost the moment hers faded – be it seconds or centuries from now.

With hot tears in her eyes, Rose took charge then, intending to make this one memory last forever. Later she would take time to form counter arguments to any and every fault-filled reason he might give to say this could never happen again or had been a mistake. She would fight to hold on to what was always meant to be theirs. But for now she would make him know of her love, not just with words, but with every touch and every breath and every ounce of her being.

Rose pushed against his chest until his mouth was forced to break away from hers, and he moved back as she braced her hands on both his shoulders and continued to push him up and away. He sat up fully, his breathing hard and uneven as he raked a hand through his wildly-disarrayed hair. The walls were erected again in his dark eyes as he looked at her with resigned acceptance, thinking she was ending this. He swallowed forcibly. "I... Rose, I...I'm sorr–"

Rose shook her head vigorously. She didn't give him a chance to finish those words or even harbor that thought long as she rose to her knees and made short work of what was left physically separating them, the swift movement surprising him enough that he mutely complied.

Her eyes mapped him before her hands and lips did the same. Her palms pressed flat against his chest, his hearts pounding powerfully beneath her. _This_ was life, and she would make him see this is how they were meant to embrace it wholly and live.

She broke the kiss long enough to pull back and let her eyes drink him. This was him and only him, with the barricades and masks removed. He was so utterly gorgeous, and for tonight he was hers. They may never speak of this again. Their marriage might be rescinded and they would move on as if this never happened. But tonight, and if only for tonight, he was her husband.

Their passion reached a level of desperation as their eyes found each other's and locked wordlessly, and neither could stop what had been building between them since the word 'run.' He touched her cheek as he looked into her eyes, deep and bottomless. He touched her with such tenderness, as if she might shatter if he applied too much pressure.

He prayed he would not shatter her with his selfish taking of all she offered him, so much more than he thought he deserved; but there was no fighting this any longer. Not in this moment. Not for this night.

Rose opened her soul to him without hesitation, and their merging was a feeling of perfection to a degree which felt as if the only way to explain it was that each had been made to complete the other.

There was no retreating from this now, no ability to stop until this force between them found its overdue release. It was slow and at the same time frenzied. As if they had all the time in the world and only this night. Like it was the very beginning and the final end.

Rose forced her eyes open to look into his, finding his searing gaze burning into hers. "I...I love you," Rose choked out between jagged breaths, and any tenuous control the Doctor had fully snapped like dry kindling.

And he finally let go, powerless to hold back a single part of himself from this woman who had claimed her right to his hearts. In that moment, he let go of _so much more_ than he ever intended. So much more than he thought he ever would or _could_ give of himself to another. His mind was reaching forth out of the abysmal darkness that for so long had engulfed him and was now seeking light, seeking vital connection, seeking to be whole and refusing to be shackled. And it shook him to the very core of his being while at the same time drove him on, the option of turning back – of turning back from so much more than just this – disintegrating.

Time snatched flying seconds from the linear continuum surrounding them and made them slow, made this powerful moment of seeking and finding last, as a radiant golden Wolf howled in the center of a raging Storm.

The Doctor dropped his forehead to hers, now rapidly forging a connection in every possible way. Powerful, once carefully hidden and fiercely guarded words flowed from his mouth in a language she didn't know, yet the harmonious, mysterious syllables penetrated her very soul and gripped her heart, bringing a cascade of tears trailing down her cheeks as she received them – only for her.

Rose felt the first gossamer touch in her mind, like the fluttering of wings; then a tingling that grew to a consuming fire as the Doctor's words resonated through her being like a song reaching its crescendo. He lifted his head enough to look once more into her eyes, and she could see it. She could see the words he was not able to say along with the ones he had just given her, and Rose breathed her words of love again as she pressed her lips to his. In this moment they were fully one, and in this moment she had no doubts that this is how they were always meant to be.

The Doctor clung to her as if she was his last remaining hope, until finally there was nothing left to take or to give.

-:-:-:-

The Doctor lay motionless and hearts hammering out of his chest. He finally lifted his head to look into her eyes, his mouth parted and breathing still erratic. Rose tried to speak but her throat felt raw, the cry of his name still ringing in her ears.

He shook his head slightly, as if bidding her to remain silent, and touched his forehead to hers. She detected the sight of suspicious moisture in his eyes before he squeezed them shut.

Drawing in a long, galvanizing breath, he turned onto his back next to her. Rose turned on her side to face him. The dying embers from the nearly extinguished fire gave his skin an ethereal glow. The rising and falling of his chest slowed as his breathing returned to equilibrium.

Rose reached out and placed a hand to the center of his chest, and he shuddered from the touch as if she had burned him – branded him with her palm between his hearts. He turned his head to her. Rose was still feeling lightheaded, a tingling sensation in her mind that matched the tingling she still felt in every nerve ending of her body. His dark, emotional, tempestuous eyes searched hers, and she tried not to feel troubled by the fact that he didn't speak, because she didn't think either of them were capable of that just yet. What they had just shared surely spoke more than any words they had ever spoken between them ever could have.

The hushed seconds ticked past. The Doctor finally lifted his hand and reached towards her, the movement almost tentative. He stroked down her cheek with the back of his hand as the firelight caught and glinted on the surface of the silver wedding bangle around his wrist. On contact, the sparks of electricity crackled to life again on her skin, the sensation now feeling heightened and more acute than ever. Rose quivered intensely beneath his touch, the gesture somehow seeming as intimate as anything else that had just taken place between them. His hand fell away from her face, and a moment later he motioned for her to move towards him. Rose did, curling into his side as his arm came around her, both releasing a shuddering breath.

She was suddenly exhausted. Spent in every possible way. The last thing Rose was aware of before sleep finally pulled her under was the Doctor's lips brushing across her temple as something she did not yet comprehend, something ancient and powerful and permanent, flared within her mind at the touch, and she refused to accept that the words she heard him whisper were those of an apology.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N **The Doctor and Rose face the morning after, but clearly still have a few more issues to overcome.

I'm also working on a separate one-shot which will give a glimpse into Zerin and Shadarra's time together, and I hope to have it posted sometime next week.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 26<span>**

If Rose was completely honest with herself, she would have admitted to having more than one fantasy about what it would be like to wake in the morning beside the Doctor after having torn down those barriers, crossed those lines, and finally, _finally_ acted upon the feelings which silently yet clearly existed between them. Some of those Morning After Fantasies involved soft, re-affirming words of love spoken between them at first waking sight, the words flowing easily and naturally between them like a gentle, unhurried stream. Other such scenarios made no allowance for words at all, as heated desire would consume them both the moment they woke in each other's arms, leading to another round of passionate love making, not even making it out of bed for at least a day. Maybe two.

Whatever the case, one element in every fantasy was always the same. Her eyes would be met by his upon waking. This would be the first sight she would see. His gorgeous, deep brown eyes would look at her for the first time with unbridled love – no masks, no holding back, and no walls left standing as a barricade between them, restraining their hearts.

Yet in every single variation of her fantasies, Rose had never once imagined the reality of what she was met with the next morning as the first soft light of dawn filtered into the marriage chamber they had shared. She never imagined herself waking up alone, the space beside her empty, the Doctor now gone.

Rose shifted onto her back and pressed the heels of her palms into her bleary eyes. For a few brief seconds she entertained the notion that maybe it had all just been a dream and what happened the night before hadn't even been real. But every one of her senses confirmed that it had been _very_ real. Of that there was no question.

Among the physical evidence, there was also his scent which silently spoke that his presence had not been a mere phantom of her mind. She was surrounded by the unmistakable, intoxicating scent of the Doctor, enveloping her on the bed and lingering upon her skin. And beneath this, their essence mingled. Each breath she drew was a reminder. Beneath it all was the musky scent of sex from their passion that had finally been set free.

Rose grimaced as that three-letter word flashed through her mind. Was that all it had been? The act of sex to relieve the simmering tension that had risen to the boiling point? Or was it an outlet for the emotions of guilt and pain stirred within the Doctor as he had opened a part of himself he had normally kept shielded since the War? Was it one night of diffusing tension or creating a distraction as carnal urges found release?

No, Rose firmly insisted to herself. It was so much deeper. So much more. It was the giving and taking and _making of love_. It was her heart and her soul given to him in the way she had always longed to give. And along with the physical expression of love, she had also given him the words. Three words that described the condition of her heart and to whom it belonged. Though the Doctor had not returned this declaration in the form of words, Rose had truly felt and believed that he had given them back to her in so many other ways. He didn't need to say it when she could see it and feel it.

At least she had told herself so in the previous night's silence as she had fallen asleep in his arms. The stark light of day and the Doctor's absence, however, had her now questioning his feelings anew. She had never imagined that making love or having sex – or whatever label it was given – could happen between them, and yet after leave her more uncertain of the Doctor's feelings than ever before.

Did he regret it? Was he angry, or even worse, ashamed? Was he going to try to pretend from here that it never even happened – as utterly impossible as she knew that would be for both of them? But then, the Doctor always did like to take on 'impossible,' she thought, fighting a flash of bitterness.

Rose didn't have an answer to these questions troubling her heart because the only one who could give her the answers was no longer even here.

Rose lifted her hand and brushed her fingers across her lips, still feeling and tasting the Doctor upon her. She squeezed her eyes shut. How could they _ever_ just turn back from here? What would she do if he did? Rose rubbed her forehead, still feeling a fullness and a hum within her mind, and behind it, just at the very edges, the faint remnants of a haunting song. She instinctively knew in part what was responsible for this lingering sensation. The Doctor had touched her here. He had touched her, body, soul, and mind; and she would never again be the same.

Rose removed her hand from her temple but paused to gaze at her arm as it lowered. The wedding bangle around her wrist glinted, catching the light of the sunbeams washing in through the arched glass of the windows. A lump rose in her throat at the same time that steely resolve galvanized her entire being. Rose Tyler wasn't going to continue lying here in a bed of hurt, uncertainty and fear.

She was going to find the Doctor.

She was going to find her _husband_.

And if he was turning his back and running from this, then he was going to first have to look her in the eyes and tell her so.

-:-:-:-

Just after Rose had gotten out of bed and was wrapping herself in a robe, a knock at the doors drew her attention. Her heart sped, and she briefly wondered if it could be the Doctor. But would he be one to knock…if he even came back at all?

"Come in," she spoke through the doors as she moved closer.

The doors opened and two young maids, both of Krendorian descent, came in to assist her in getting ready for the day. Rose didn't particularly feel like having any excessive attention directed at her. Her only wish was to find the Doctor as quickly as she could before any more time passed and distanced them further. And before the doubting thoughts churning in her mind drove her mad. She still had to play her part as Zobulan's new Queen, however. At least for one more day. And in a practical sense, they could help her dress and be ready to leave the chamber much quicker than if she took on the task alone.

They offered to draw her a bath, but she declined. Rose just wanted to dress as soon as possible. And even if she would have felt a little more fresh if she were to bathe, Rose didn't want to simply wash away the night before. The Doctor's scent still lingered upon her, and Rose was clinging to that. Right now it felt like all she had of him and their previous night. She was also offered breakfast, but Rose's stomach was tied in too many knots to even think about eating.

And so, Rose stood as calmly and patiently as possible as one of the women helped her into a lavish, silky, off-the-shoulder deep blue gown. It was trimmed in gold corded accents along the low neckline and long, drapy sleeves, with a corded sash encircling the fitted waist. The narrow skirt hugged her curves and then fanned out around her feet, draping elegantly behind her. The other woman stood to the side on a stool and began to arrange Rose's hair in an elaborate coif atop her head, but Rose felt the need to be a little less overdone, despite her extravagant royal attire. She wanted to feel as genuine and true to herself as possible when she found the Doctor and sought the truth from him.

"Could I just...wear it down?" she asked, indicating her hair with a wave of her hand. "I don't feel like makin' much fuss with it today."

The young woman bowed her head slightly in acquiescence. "Of course, Your Highness. The choice is entirely yours."

Rose fought the urge to ask to simply be called by her name. She had to follow some bit of decorum, but it was against her nature not to at least treat everyone else with as much respect as she was given herself, be they Kings, Queens or servants.

"So...what are your names, then? I'm sorry...I don't recall," she said, as one laced the back of her dress and the other pinned her hair back from her face with jewel-studded combs, though left the wavy ends of her hair to flow free, golden strands brushing her shoulders. Rose recognized the women as two who had attended her the night before when first escorted to the wedding chamber. On the heels of the marriage ceremony, Rose had been too wholly consumed with whirling questions to be in the frame of mind to make conversation. Her thoughts weren't exactly in a state of ease now either, but at least this gave her a momentary distraction from everything else.

"My name is Reena," replied the woman who stood fashioning Rose's hair. "And this is my younger sister, Kassarah."

"Sisters. Of course. I thought there was a lovely resemblance," Rose noted, giving a slight smile to the two dark-haired women.

Rose's genuine kindness was obvious. Feeling more at ease in the presence of their new Queen, Kassarah took the liberty of directing a question to Rose. "And...and are you feeling well this morning, Your Highness? After the...the events of last night?"

Rose flushed and felt her stomach flip-flop, thinking first of only one 'event' the night before. She then realized it was Amron's attack that was actually being referred to.

"Kassarah!" Reena hissed. "It is not our place to–"

"No, 's alright," Rose reassured her. "It's kind of you to ask. And I'm...I'm alright, thanks." _Physically_, Rose thought. Emotionally, she still wasn't quite sure.

Rose decided to ask the only question that was on her mind at the moment – the one distracting her from everything else. She was embarrassed to even have to ask this of others the morning after her wedding night, not even knowing the answer herself, but she needed to know if the Doctor was even nearby.

"So...um...can either of you tell me where...," Rose hesitated, almost calling him the Doctor. Calling him the King didn't feel right, either; so Rose settled on the new title that she was still struggling to wrap her mind around. Maybe saying it out loud might help it sink in. "Can you tell me where my husband is?" The foreign feel of the word on her tongue told her it still wasn't sinking in. Rose swallowed. "Have either of you seen him this morning?"

Reena stepped back after putting the finishing touches on Rose's hair. She nodded. "His Majesty is within his Ruling Chamber. He arose very early and called an assembling of the Ruling Council."

If the two women thought this unusual for a man to leave his bride the morning after being wed, then they didn't let it show. Rose presumed they were probably thinking that his 'tending to business' had to do with Amron's assassination attempt the night before.

When she and the Doctor first had the chance to speak together alone after the wedding, he had told Rose of his plans to call an assembly today in preparation for Zerin and Shadarra's return, and it made sense, of course, that he would be following through with that now. But it didn't take the sharp sting out of the fact that he had silently slipped away from her without so much as a word after what had happened between them. Knowing he had no doubt risen so early and left as he had _because_ of what happened between them made his stark absence all the more painful.

Once Rose was properly attired and adorned in a manner fit for a Queen, the two women excused themselves from the chamber. Rose wasn't spending any more time questioning the Doctor's feelings. Drawing a breath and gathering her resolve, she left to find him.

Rose made her way from the bedchamber and began the journey down the winding, stone-walled corridors of the castle. She reached the main staircase on the East wing which led toward the direction of the Ruling Chamber on the main floor. After descending the tall spiral stairs, Rose moved across the colonnade which connected to the King's Court leading into the Ruling Chamber.

There was quite a bit of activity with royal personnel going to and fro from the chamber, but it seemed the majority were now leaving. The Doctor had apparently already given the word to begin gathering an assembly at the Great Amphitheater, and if the bustle of activity she noticed outside the castle as she gazed past the arched pillars of the colonnade was any indication, then the gathering was already underway. In a short while, the Doctor would bring the true Royal Family of Zobulan back in the TARDIS and present them to the people. And if the Doctor's previous assessment was correct, then the TARDIS should also be ready for full travel away from Zobulan today.

They would unite two races after having played a role in working to end this planet's conflict, and then depart in the TARDIS after another job well done. In other words, business as usual for them. With one major difference. Once she and the Doctor returned to the TARDIS, they might be leaving this planet, but not as the same two people who had arrived here. All that had now happened between them could not simply be left behind as they ran toward the next adventure. Unless, of course, that's what the Doctor was going to attempt. Would he simply try to put all this behind them and move on as if it hadn't happened at all?

Rose was going a little insane with all of the anxious, unanswered questions that had been assaulting her mind since first waking to find herself alone. The only way to finally have answers was to talk to the man at the center of it all, no matter how uneasy or uncomfortable she anticipated the 'morning after' confrontation might be.

Rose approached the arched entranceway leading into the Ruling Chamber's outer court, standing aside as three more officials left the inner chamber. Each greeted her and bowed as a customary show of respect, and Rose knew she would have never become used to this if she'd actually remained here as Zobulan's Queen. She moved past them and continued through the outer court. As Rose approached the open double doors of the Ruling Chamber, she could hear the voice of the Doctor speaking within. The tempo of her heart instantly sped at the sound of his voice.

She loved him. That was a fact which had been true long before she had ever been able to speak the words or act upon them. And because this was unconditional, Rose knew she was never going to leave him, no matter how things turned out between them on a personal level. Because of this love and of finally expressing it, however, she didn't think she could bear to ever go back to the way things had once been, either. Not now. Not after last night. How could they ever keep that kind of distance between them now and not have it kill them?

Rose lifted a hand and massaged her temple. Her head still had that faint tingling sensation. And maybe it was her imagination, but just being this close to the Doctor again made the sensation a little stronger. _Oh_, she had it bad for this man.

She waited just outside the doors until the last of the officials left and the Doctor was finally alone. Rose drew in a long, deep breath and stepped up to the open doors of the chamber. Her eyes instantly found the Doctor at the far end of the narrow room. He stood with his back to her, gazing out the tall arched window overlooking the East courtyard. He was dressed in the midnight-blue tunic and trousers, black vest and black boots of Zerin, but thanks to her override of the perception filter, he was still clearly distinguishable as the Doctor – pinstripes or no – with his tall, lean build and chocolate-brown hair that stood up perfectly in artful disarray.

Rose wished, among a growing list of other things, that she could have seen what that gorgeous hair looked like upon waking this morning. Before stepping in, she stood silently gazing at him for a moment, contemplating what to even say. In the night, they had not needed the language of speech. In the light of day, finding words had never seemed so difficult.

-:-:-:-

On the other side of the room, the Doctor had been lost in a world of his own thoughts as well, all issues of Zobulan taking second place in his mind despite the responsibility resting on his shoulders. One thought was taking precedence over all else.

_Rose_.

Her name, her very essence had been surging through his entire being since the moment they had become one.

He could scarcely believe what had actually happened between him and Rose the night before. They had joined body and mind, and the latter was _not_ the sort of thing that could happen by careless accident. A part of him had sought this with deliberateness, and it quite honestly scared him to death. Despite this, another rather large part of himself was desperate for more. More of Rose and all of Rose in every waking moment. She was a part of him now. His body was singing for hers and he ached just to touch her, to feel that pure, untempered, terrifying power between them that drew him in and ignited with just one touch. He feared it and craved it, and the contrasting combination now pulsing through his veins was quite possibly enough to drive him mad.

Pulled from his thoughts by the one who possessed them, the Doctor heard soft footfalls from behind and turned, his expression neutral as he expected it to be one of the Ruling Council members. But the instant his brown eyes locked on hers, a visible wave of emotion passed over his face, and his intake of breath was quick and sharp. If his mind had not been in the dizzying state of acclimating to their new connection, he would have known she was the one who had come into the room before even turning to see. His mind had been awash with questions these past few hours, one of them being whether she could feel this, too, and to what degree it would be for a human. How could he ask such a question, though, when she was still not aware of what he had done? Rose had told him she wanted to stay with him for the rest of her life, but never had they even discussed something like _this. _He had gone from fearing that what they had could not last, to fearing its permanence – a permanence which would remain whether she would always want it or not._  
><em>

He swallowed thickly as she came fully into the chamber.

"Rose...," he greeted her with as strong a voice as he could manage, a faint, hesitant smile coming to his face for a fleeting second.

Rose tried to return some form of a smile as best she could, but noted that he wouldn't have even noticed if she had, as his eyes had already left hers and traveled down her body. Rose felt a flush heating her skin. He now knew exactly what was beneath anything that would ever cover her. For that matter, she knew the same of him. That only made her temperature increase all the more. A very large part of her wanted to just run across the room, grab him and snog him to within an inch of his lives. But they had already _made love_ the night before, yet it still felt as if they were walking on eggshells. So following through with that thought, highly tempting as it was, wasn't going to solve anything right now.

His darkened eyes reached hers again, and he moved a few steps closer as she did the same.

Could she _ever_ look at him in the same way again? Would she ever hear her name from his lips without remembering how it was spoken the night before? Rose opened her mouth in an attempt to reply to his greeting, but he held up a hand in a gesture for her to wait as he moved past her and over to the heavy doors, drawing them both closed.

There was a pitcher of water and several crystal goblets on the center of the large round table at the end of the room. Rose had yet to eat or drink anything since waking, and though her stomach was still wrapped in too tense a knot to afford her an appetite, she suddenly felt as if her tongue was sticking to the roof of her mouth. She approached the table and poured some water, taking several sips before lowering the glass and turning back towards the Doctor.

He stood facing her now from over by the doors. They looked into each other's eyes until both simultaneously broke the stare, his own gaze falling slightly downward as he shuffled a few steps towards her. Rose absently noted that if he were in his usual suit, his closed-off posture was one that would have his hands buried deep in the depths of his pinstriped-pockets. Instead, they hung stiffly at his sides. He lifted his eyes again to meet her gaze as he stopped a few feet from her.

He spoke up first, addressing the only thing he felt able to at the moment. "I...I've given the word for a gathering to be held at the Great Amphitheater. All of the officials will be there, along with as many from the city as the structure will hold. The word went out among the people first thing this morning to gather there today. In just a little less than an hour, actually. Quite a few have already made their way there now."

Rose dipped her head a little and nodded, speaking quietly. "Then you'll arrive in the TARDIS with Zobulan's true King and Queen as you had planned."

He nodded in confirmation. "And then I'll disengage the perception filter and begin the task of explaining it all. It's going to be quite the day for Zobulan. One to mark in their history books. Always love being witness to that sort of thing," he added, trying to bring another crooked smile to his face, but the effort was visibly strained. "Never gets old, that."

"And then what?" Rose asked quietly but intensely.

There was a weighted pause.

He cleared his throat. "And then, if it all goes to plan, a new era will be ushered in for Zobulan and the two peoples will..."

His voice trailed off into silence as Rose turned away from him and walked to the window, gazing out blankly.

"I wasn't asking about Zobulan," she finally said, though the Doctor had already known that was the case when she had asked the question. Rose turned from the window back around to face him. "I was asking about _us_."

"We...," the Doctor began, his eyes shifting away from hers as he swallowed, "we can then leave. No reason to have to stay much longer after that. The TARDIS will finally be ready. I made a check on her just before dawn to be sure, and I've moved her here into the side chamber." He indicated the small room off to their left. "She'll have to go easy for a bit and might still have a few hitches to work out, but full travel into the Vortex should be–"

"I'm asking about more than our travel plans, Doctor," Rose cut him off, unable to handle skirting around this any longer. She had thought that was _finally_ over with the night before. To try to keep up any pretense now was almost more than she could take. She had poured her soul out to him the night before, and her emotions still felt raw around the edges, evident in her voice. "I'm asking about _us_. You and me. After last night I thought..." Her voice finally broke. Rose briefly closed her eyes and shook her head. "But then I woke up and you were gone. And now you won't even talk about it. Like...like nothing even happened."

His expression was tense, a look of apology in his eyes, and that was the very _last_ thing she wanted to see from him.

But the Doctor _was_ sorry, and he knew he couldn't easily hide that. He had done far more, gone far further the night before than he ever intended to go with anyone – more than Rose was even fully aware of. And now it frightened him. It would scare her too if she knew, he thought. He _had_ to tell her, but needed to attempt to wrap his own head around this first. He needed to be in a more collected frame of mind when they spoke of this, because he had _not_ handled things in the best of ways up to this point. A part of him now ached just to touch her, but even that scared him. She would _feel_ this if he did.

"Rose, I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you by leaving. But I needed to get up early to begin setting things in motion, and I thought...I thought it was best to just...let you sleep." Part of this was true, anyway. He knew she needed rest – physically and mentally.

They both stared at each other, neither speaking for several moments. Finally, Rose asked the one question she both feared the answer to but _needed_ the answer to none the less.

"Was last night a mistake?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking with pent-up emotion.

His body stiffened, a look of pain and uncertainty on his face. If she thought _that_ had been a mistake, then what would she think of...

"Is that what you think?"

Rose shook her head, her voice coming out a little stronger. "I don't know _what_ to think. I woke up alone having to...to _guess_ how you might be feeling about all this because you weren't even there. If we were on Earth where you could easily drop me behind, I'd have wondered if I'd ever even see you again. Like one of those blokes who never sticks around in the light of day." Her voice hitched. "The kind I never thought I'd settle for...and never thought you'd be."

The Doctor turned his head away as he raked a hand through his hair. He had made an utter mess of things. He had ruined _everything_, and not just by his absence from her this morning. He was at a complete loss now as to how to fix it. Any of it. "Rose, I...I'm sorry if I upset you. I'm sorry if this morning wasn't what you expected from me. But I honestly don't know what I should..." He growled in frustration. He couldn't do this. "I just...I don't do..._'this'_ very well. In case you hadn't noticed, I usually don't do '_this'_ at all."

Rose gave a short, sardonic laugh. "Well, you did a pretty fair job last night. So, what? You don't do the 'morning after.' Is that it? You run from it...pretend it didn't even happen?"

His eyes were sharp as he brought them back to hers. He was _trying_ not to do anymore damage here until he could find his footing and figure out how to proceed. "What do you want me to say?"

Oh, she'd already had more than enough of _this_ game. "What you're actually feeling!" she cried, her arms spreading helplessly out to the sides. "I _told_ you how I felt. I told you that I _love_ you. But I don't even know how you feel!"

He opened his mouth, but no words would come, so he closed it again. After the way he had broken himself open, how could she not even know at least that much? And yet a part of him was still terrified to even say it. Or to say it _again_, at least. He already had and then some, and apparently she didn't know. He had thought some things, when powerful enough, transcended language barriers. The Doctor drew a deep breath before speaking again. "After last night, and you don't know how I feel?"

"Because you won't tell me!"

He faltered on a response. How could he even put something like this into words? "Does it really need saying?"

Rose turned abruptly from him, a noise between a growl and a strangled cry rising up in her throat. She gripped the edge of the table in front of her tightly as she drew several deep breaths. She couldn't keep going 'round with him like this. She needed some space and a chance to clear her head. Maybe once all this was over and they were back in the TARDIS they could have a little more success at this the second time around. But right now in the midst of Zobulan's issues coming to a head, they didn't have the time to go deeper, and Rose didn't have the strength or the desire to try to drag words from him that he wasn't willing or able to give. If he had to force the words then she didn't want them at all.

"Rose...," the Doctor spoke tentatively from behind her as he moved nearer. Just this closer proximity was nearly his undoing. Along with the rush of hormones she was exuding from a flood of both anxiety and arousal, he could still smell _himself_ on her, and the potent cocktail assailing his senses was enough to nearly drive him over the edge. It also reminded him of the loss of control which led them to where they were now. That sobering thought held him in check.

She turned slowly back to face him, eyes riveted to his, and holding himself in check became decidedly more difficult. It was no use. He _had_ to at least touch her. He couldn't be this close to her and not. His hand began stretching out to reach for her just as a knock sounded on the other side of the doors.

The Doctor grimaced and Rose closed her eyes.

"We can't do this right now," she sighed heavily.

The Doctor turned his head towards the doors, then back to her. "I'll tell whoever it is to wait."

"And then what?" she challenged.

He was silent.

"Right," Rose spoke in a resigned tone. "Like I said. And then what?"

Rose moved past him and made her way towards the doors to leave.

"Rose, just...," the Doctor called out, sounding weary, not wanting her to go but not yet knowing just what to say if she stayed.

Rose shook her head, not turning back around. "We have to finish what's been started here on Zobulan. Then after that maybe we can...finish everything else."

The Doctor felt a piercing sting from her words as she opened the doors, stepped aside to allow one of the officials in, and quickly departed from the chamber.

The Doctor watched her go, knowing that no matter how far or how fast she might ever choose to run, she could _never_ escape him now. The consequences of the night before were permanent, _for as long as they both shall live..._

Guilt gripped his hearts. How could he have done this to her?


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N **A shorter chapter, but an important piece in the story's puzzle as the Doctor makes a very surprising discovery. The questions raised will soon be answered, but you can probably guess by now how it all ties in. ;)

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 27<span>**

"_We have to finish what's been started here on Zobulan. Then after that maybe we can...finish everything else."_

_The Doctor felt a piercing sting from her words as she opened the doors, stepped aside to allow one of the officials in, and quickly departed from the chamber._

As much as Rose's words and the implications behind them had stung sharply, the reality was that she was right. Whatever might happen between the two of them from this point, first they had to finish their roles here on Zobulan. The Doctor tried to keep his own emotions in check as he completed this last step of retrieving the royal family and bringing them back to the ruling city to reveal them to the people. Considering the events of the past twenty-four hours, however, subduing his emotions wasn't easy, even for a man who usually managed that sort of thing with practiced ease.

As much as he might want to run from it, he and Rose needed to talk, he knew. They needed to talk about one very important thing in particular, but he admittedly was glad for this reason to temporarily postpone it. He had allowed something to happen between him and Rose that he never intended, beyond just their physical intimacy which was still occupying a very large part of his recurrent thoughts. But beyond even this, he had reached for her mind and forged a connection with her in a way that had never been planned or consented to, and was now irrevocable. The only thing that frightened him more than the knowledge of what had been done was the question of how Rose would react. Would she try to escape him, insofar as she could considering this link binding them together? If he were to lose Rose now he didn't think he could survive. Or rather, he _would_ survive. He was always forced to pick up what was left of the pieces of himself and carry on, no matter the loss he faced. That seemed to be his curse.

What had happened between them should not be a shock to him. He should have known, really. How could he have _ever_ thought for even a moment that he could let go as he did and have one night like that with Rose and there would be no lasting, staggering consequences? The thought that he might have now mucked things up between them on such a grand scale was almost unbearable.

The Doctor came to a firm realization. He wasn't just lacking skill when it came to relationships. He was complete and utter rubbish.

The Doctor distracted himself marginally from his self-berating thoughts by focusing on the task at hand as he boarded the TARDIS. Carefully guiding his recovering ship, he landed the TARDIS with a shaky but successful arrival in Zobulan's Northern region, and linearly speaking, one year to the day from when he had first brought Zerin and Shadarra here. He could have set the timing for a bit sooner and retrieved them before a full year had passed for them once he had learned that they had indeed conceived a child. He gave them this added time of uninterrupted peace, though, before returning to an uncertain reception.

The Doctor had changed back into his pinstriped suit and for now had deactivated the perception filter. He stepped out of the TARDIS on arrival and gazed around the surrounding countryside. The moderately-sized stone estate sat atop a lush green hill overlooking a fertile, secluded valley. He spotted Zerin a short ways in the distance, gazing outward across the scenic landscape. Having been awaiting his arrival, the King turned in the Doctor's direction and lifted a hand in greeting. The Doctor acknowledged with a wave back and began walking towards him.

The two met up and Zerin extended his hand, grasping the Doctor's and smiling with a look of contentment beyond which the usually heavy-burdened King had ever expressed.

"One year to the day of the first," Zerin remarked, clearly in awe. "Just as you said your return would be."

"Always on time, me," the Doctor replied, then paused to add, "Well, usually. Most often. Sometimes. Um...on occasion." He cleared his throat and tugged at his ear. "So, is everyone ready to leave, then?"

Zerin nodded. "Yes, in just a few moments. Nahlia is finishing the preparations for departing and my wife is feeding our child before leaving." Zerin's eyes radiated joy. "The baby born to us was a boy. Shadarra and I have a son."

"Ah, brilliant!" the Doctor offered with genuine delight. "What's his name?"

"Zephrim. After my father. He would be so proud." Zerin laughed quietly to himself, shaking his head. "More than that, he would be astounded." The King drew a breath. "Doctor, I could never even begin to express my gratitude for all that both you and Rose have helped to bring about, not just for me, but for all of Zobulan."

The Doctor shook his head. "No need. Giving help where it's needed and whenever possible is just the sort of thing we do," he insisted, though he knew that all he and Rose had done and experienced here went so far beyond any circumstances they had ever before faced. Spontaneous marriages were not exactly their norm.

"And has all gone well for the realm during this time – which I suppose for you was little more than a day?" Zerin queried anxiously. "I have reassured myself with this knowledge that for the people my absence would be brief, even though I still do not fully grasp how it was possible for time to be manipulated in such a way. But still, I trusted you during my absence from rule. How could I not, after all you have done? Though even so, it was not easy stepping away from my duties this long without having some concerns over what might be happening," Zerin confessed.

The Doctor paused before answering, knowing things didn't go entirely smooth considering Amron's attack. "I'll tell you about everything that's taken place on the way back, along with how I think we should all proceed once we arrive. But for right now, yes, everything is stable," the Doctor assured him.

Zerin nodded, feeling relief in hearing this. His gaze drifted back out to the hillside and the land they would soon be departing. His voice was wistful as he spoke again. "It is fitting, I suppose, that Shadarra and I came to this very place where, in a way, all of this began so very long ago."

The Doctor tilted his head curiously. "What'd you mean?"

Zerin looked back to him. "The Cave of Wisdom – it is right here in the valley beyond. This is believed to be the place where the very first writings of the Sacred Legend were found, foretelling of the lasting peace that would be brought to this world one day, and admonishing our people to remain hopeful and watchful for such a day to come. The words then spread from here, found in the writings of the Scribes and told throughout Zobulan generation after generation, a beacon of hope for eventual peace. And true to what was foretold, if Rose had not come here from a world beyond as it said, and if you had not stood in my place as favored King during this time and carried out the union which maintained stability, while allowing _this_ union between myself and Shadarra to also take place, then such a legacy of peace would never have been achieved. It did not come about in the exact way our people always presumed it would, but the end result is still the same. The ancient words were true."

The Doctor looked out towards the valley, his urge to explore and get a glimpse of the ancient script lighting a spark in him. He never had put much stock in their legend, seeing it more as a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it piqued his curiosity none the less. After all, this had not only affected Zobulan, but this legend of theirs had quite the impact on him and Rose as well, considering how the events unfolded.

The Doctor turned back to Zerin. "Tell you what...I wouldn't mind getting a look at it myself. Why don't you show me while Shadarra and Nahlia finish their preparations for leaving?"

Zerin agreed, turning and leading the way along the path down toward the direction of the sacred cave, still sitting in relative seclusion after so many centuries.

Upon reaching the bottom of the valley, they approached the entrance to a cave which opened into the rocky face of the bluff overlooking the grassy field. The Doctor took out the sonic screwdriver and used it as a torch to light the way as they ducked inside.

Zerin led him several meters inside the cool, damp darkness, taking a few tunneling twists and turns before reaching an area where the cave widened. He then directed the Doctor over to the smooth rock wall on the left of the cavern.

"This is the place," Zerin indicated solemnly, his voice echoing through the dark, cavernous room. "It has remained unguarded through the centuries because both Jezrians and Krendorians have always held it in sacred esteem and never has one sought to defile it. The writing is believed to be about six hundred years old. The etchings themselves are curious in nature, as if they were burned into the rock with precision rather than simply carved with a tool, the work smooth and flawless. And though the first writing at the top is in the language of Zobulan, the additional script below is one no one has ever been able to decipher, making the origins of these words a true mystery."

The Doctor extended the sonic out towards the carving on the wall. He took a quick scan. "Mmm, yes. Originating from about six hundred years ago," he confirmed. His eyes focused in on the first line of writing, his gaze narrowing as he shone the blue glowing light across it in careful inspection. He reached out his other hand and smoothed his fingers across the indented words of stone. "This _was_ burned into the rock," he murmured. "Almost like...like a _laser_, or a..." His voice trailed off as his hearts rate increased. He hastily switched settings on the sonic and scanned the wall again, swallowing hard as he read the results. He knew _exactly_ the type of device that had been used to inscribe this. With a slightly unsteady hand, he then shone the light lower, revealing what Zerin had described as the undecipherable language below.

He nearly dropped the sonic to the ground as the spiraling words of an all but dead language were illuminated before his eyes. Gallifreyan. He traced a trembling finger over the whirling lines, his breathing rapid as a hard lump rose in his throat. A part of him understood clearly what this meant, yet another part of him could barely conceive it. And these words in a language which only he himself could transcribe were _not_ in the style of his own hand, which only perplexed his racing mind all the more.

"Are you able to understand it?" Zerin questioned with curious wonder, knowing that the Doctor with his great wisdom might be able to understand the mysterious script.

The Doctor couldn't even gather his emotions enough to elaborate on what this _really_ could mean. He just nodded slowly as he gave a vague reply. "I...think I get the general idea, yes. It just...just confirms the other words, in a way."

Zerin, anxious to get underway, urged the Doctor on with him. "Well, everyone is no doubt ready by now. I think it is time."

"Yeah," the Doctor murmured, his eyes still fixed on the stone before him. "Yeah, it's time."

The Doctor fought to keep his mind from spiraling wildly and getting away from him, but was it possible he and Rose were going to make it through this and be _so _much better than he could have imagined after all? Fear over the monumental lines he and Rose had now crossed still had him in its clutches, and in their present state and with his current tumultuous thoughts over it all, he knew that right at this moment he never would choose to initiate something like this – to actually be the one behind it all along. But as the irrefutable evidence in stone spoke back to him, maybe, just _maybe_, he didn't know himself or the end result to all this as well as he had thought.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N **Resolution is at last reached for Zobulan. Now if the Doctor and Rose can do the same...

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 28<span>**

Within the Great Amphitheater, Rose had taken her place along with the group of royal officials who stood atop the upper platform as they awaited the arrival of the King, still unbeknownst to those gathering just what the King's news was going to be. The announcement had been made that he would be addressing the people with news of great importance, and a crowd had gathered within, their numbers exceeding what the structure would accommodate. Throngs stretched outside the arena and overflowed out into the surrounding streets.

On the outside, Rose's demeanor was that of calm composure; on the inside, she felt a knot coiling tight in her belly. So many emotions and unanswered questions were churning within her, apart from what was about to happen here. As she stood, her mind automatically went back to the day before – the day she had stood atop this very podium and pledged herself in marriage to the Doctor. She didn't regret it for a single second, nor did she question her vows or regret giving herself fully to him the night before. No, the knot in her stomach arose from still not knowing for certain how the Doctor really felt in all this or why he couldn't just _say_ one way or the other.

And all major personal issues aside, she was also anxious about how the Doctor's plan was going to play out in the coming minutes. There had been deception on their parts in order to bring this about, yes. But in light of what was about to be revealed to the people and the monumental significance this held for their future, Rose was fairly confident that the means of bringing this about would surely be overlooked considering the outcome.

She cut her eyes over to Eilam who stood across from her on the podium. The Elder was clearly showing signs of unease from not knowing for certain what all this was about. He wasn't a man who was used to being in the dark regarding affairs of the kingdom. Although most everyone suspected the King's imminent announcement would have to do with Amron's attack against the monarchy which the King presumably intended to address publicly. Perhaps the aged man's unease in her presence also rightfully stemmed from his manipulative actions toward her, Rose surmised. He had followed through with handing over the antidote for the Doctor after she went through with the wedding, but considering his actions, could any man really absolve himself of all feelings of guilt, no matter how he tried to reason it to the greater good? No matter. Rose had a feeling his days of holding the position of Advisor to the King were numbered.

The people gathered throughout were murmuring amongst themselves, creating a swelling hum that filled the air. Soon, the surrounding clatter from the anxious crowds grew louder as the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS materializing reverberated through the arena. Rose's heart began beating faster in anticipation as the familiar sight of the TARDIS began to hazily take shape before them.

The eyes of everyone were on the TARDIS as it appeared directly in the center of the prominent podium. Seconds later, the door creaked open and the Doctor stepped out, now dressed in his familiar brown pinstriped suit but still wearing the perception filter, and thus, the face of King Zerin. Rose didn't miss how his eyes were first drawn to her, glancing significantly but briefly over at her before stepping forward to address the people as all fell into a stunned, hushed silence. There would be no easing into this, she knew. That wasn't the Doctor's way. He was simply going to lay it all on the line for either acceptance or outrage. They were either about to be lauded or lynched.

"People of Zobulan," he spoke out, his voice carrying throughout the Great Amphitheater. "I have called together this assembly today because the announcement I have to make is of the utmost importance to the entire realm. I speak to you, however, not as your King, but on his behalf for the sake of your planet." Bewildered murmurs overtook the crowd once again before the Doctor continued on. "As you know, a wedding took place yesterday that was believed to be the long-awaited catalyst to usher in lasting peace for both races of Zobulan. What was not known, however, was that another marriage had also taken place. A marriage between your true King and a Jezrian woman of nobility."

The murmuring of the crowd immediately grew several decibels louder. Eilam swiftly moved forward at that instant. "What are you saying?" he hissed under his breath. "What is the meaning of this?"

The Doctor turned a hard look upon him, before then continuing on with his address to the people. He had to raise his voice even louder to be heard over the din, despite the architectural acoustics of the platform. "I am not your King. I stood in his place so that a marriage that would bring true and lasting peace could be carried out quietly and unhindered. I am the Doctor. The man who traveled here with Rose, the woman you believed to be your new Queen, and through technology that I possess I was able to take on your King's likeness." The Doctor lifted his arm and slid the silver crisscrossing wedding bangle from his wrist.

Rose lowered her eyes to her own wrist and removed the crisscrossing band. It was no longer needed in order for her to perceive the Doctor as he was, and Rose was still in doubt as to what would become of their 'marriage' once they left this place. Either way, she didn't need an outward symbol to signify her feelings or her pledge to the Doctor. And if they somehow were able to progress from here, she wanted it to simply be as the two of them, the Doctor and Rose, without symbolizing the ruse of having played a fabricated part. From here she wanted nothing but honesty in whatever path they took.

The Doctor pulled out the sonic screwdriver from his inner pocket and aimed it at the concealed device within the silver band, deactivating it and revealing himself as the clamor below subsequently grew to a chaotic uproar, the people now on the verge of mayhem.

Half a dozen officials, Eilam included, surrounded the Doctor. Two guards seized him by the arms as two more moved towards Rose and did the same.

"You will tell us what you have done with King Zerin!" they demanded of the Doctor. "You will face death for your actions against the monarchy if any harm has come to him!" Voices shouted at them from all directions.

"Release them both!" the voice of Zerin boomed from behind them. He stepped out of the TARDIS and came forward. "These two have done nothing against me or this kingdom. But what they have done _for_ us is a debt we could never begin to repay." Zerin then turned to face the masses, his voice raised high and his arm outstretched toward the Doctor who had now been released at his command. "This man might have been posing as a King, but his true title is that of a Lord. He is a Lord of time itself, and he possesses capabilities which are almost beyond comprehension. These two who came to our realm are able not only to travel to distant worlds but to travel through time, as I have now experienced myself."

A stunned hush fell over the arena as he spoke the nearly unimaginable, but what would soon be reinforced by indisputable evidence. "What I am about to tell you took place in the span of one year, yet time was made to do man's bidding so that it was as if only mere days had passed. And time is what was needed, for it has allowed me to stand before you today, both Jezrians and Krendorians, and proclaim that our people have been united as _one_. I have joined myself in marriage to the Lady Shadarra of the Ruling House of Jezria. And this is not only a marriage of love but of lineage. Ours is not a barren union. Through medical advancement far beyond our own capabilities, this man, this Time Lord known as the Doctor, provided a way for the divide between our two races to be crossed and time enough for this to be brought to pass. A child, an heir to the throne has now been born who is not solely Jezrian or solely Krendorian but is of _both_ bloodlines. The possession of the throne will no longer be divided for either race of Zobulan."

At that moment Shadarra stepped out of the TARDIS, holding the infant in her arms. Nahlia, who had accompanied them during this time, came out behind her and exchanged a brief smile of greeting with Rose.

The child of Zerin and Shadarra bore visible traits of both races, as the royal officials clamoring around to get a closer look could clearly see. Shadarra took her place at her husband's side as she addressed the masses with pride and emotion. "People of Zobulan, I present to you today our people's future. All that my husband has spoken to you is true. Through my child, the son of the King, the Ruling Houses of both people have been united as one."

The truth of what was told to the people by the King and Queen, accompanied by the undeniable evidence before them, began to take hold. They had believed from the beginning that Rose, a woman from beyond their world, was exceptional. They had now stood witness to the fact that this man called the Doctor could materialize at will and even have control over his appearance. It wasn't unthinkable to accept that these two really _could_ have helped bring about the seemingly impossible – the impossible child who was cradled in his mother's arms, tangible and real.

Soon, the bewildered murmuring of the people grew into a swell of noise that finally erupted into a cheer that roared throughout the city itself, nearly shaking the foundation of the structure upon which they stood. Shadarra and Zerin stood together for several minutes as the people looked on, cheering their Royal Family until the sound was nearly deafening.

The group assembled above the arena was finally ushered into a chamber at the back of the podium away from some of the noise so that they could speak. Obviously there were quite a few questions to be asked. The ruling officials surrounded the royals, with Eilam the first to press forward, his eyes fixed in awe on the child in Shadarra's arms.

"Is this...is this really true? Is it even _possible_?" the aged man questioned in awestruck wonder. He had sought unity for the people of Zobulan at any cost, but never had he dreamed it could come in such a way.

Zerin's voice commanded the man's attention as he spoke. "The man whose very life you put in jeopardy helped to bring this about. And had your council alone been followed, this never would have been possible."

Eilam searched for an adequate reply. He had convinced himself that his previous actions were right, and that his means were justified in light of what could be achieved for the greater good. For the first time in his long life, the Elder's certainty of his own wisdom was beginning to waver. He responded with as much conviction as he could summon under the circumstances. "Had I known such a miracle was possible, I would have welcomed this path."

"No, you would not have simply welcomed this," Zerin corrected harshly. "You would have demanded proof that it was possible before you would have believed, and you would not have been willing to wait. Time was manipulated in order to bring this about today, but a day's time was still needed. A day in which the Lady Rose went through with a wedding that had been forced upon her in order to keep peace while allowing time for what was revealed today to be brought to fruition. As I said, the debt we now owe is not one we could ever repay."

Rose stepped forward then, putting strength in her voice and needing for this to be said, for a certain one among them to hear in particular. "The wedding may have been forced in the beginning, but I knew who I was pledging myself to before my vows were spoken, and I made the choice to go through with the marriage." She cut her eyes over to the Doctor who stood on the other side of Zerin, but she couldn't quite decipher his still-guarded expression. His eyes upon hers were so intense, however, that whatever it was he was fighting to restrain didn't look like it could remain that way for long.

"That may be true," Zerin acknowledged. "Nevertheless, how you and the Doctor both were initially manipulated and jeopardized was wrong, despite the outcome. And I have had time to reach a valuable decision in the midst of it all." He turned back to Eilam. "Zobulan's tradition has dictated that the word of the Elders was to always be considered and highly revered. But today I declare that never, _never_ is an Elder to make a decision apart from the consent of the ruling monarchy. You went _far_ beyond your position as Advisor by making a decision which affected the kingdom without first receiving my consent. Your purpose may have been to manipulate rather than kill, yet the fact remains that you jeopardized the life of another."

Eilam began to speak, but Zerin continued firmly.

"I would say your actions deserve imprisonment, but you alone are not solely to blame. I myself am guilty of not immediately reprimanding you for your actions once learning of them. Your actions were to try to force the bringing about of lasting peace, while my initial inaction was to try to maintain peace and prevent an uprising. Yet at a cost. I have grown in wisdom from my mistake, and I believe you have the potential to do the same. Therefore, I have had time to decide upon a more apt solution. I will allow you your freedom, but that does _not_ include freedom within the ruling council, nor a continued place within. I have been informed of Amron's attack, and clearly your solution for uniting our people would never have appeased everyone. Your wisdom was extremely unsound and was not true wisdom at all, yet you tried to force it upon me. _Never_ again will a decision be in your hands. Nor was it ever meant to be. Is this understood?"

Rightfully chastened and stripped of his position, there was not much Eilam could say in rebuttal. The fault of his actions that he had previously tried to reason away could no longer be defended. Shame was clear in his voice. "Yes, Sire. I sought the solution I believed would bring the peace our people were long since destined for. But to my shame I admit that I was ignorant in knowing the real truth of how this peace was meant to be brought about."

"Wisdom does not lie within the heart of just one," responded Zerin. "My son will be taught to value the input of successive Elders, but he and Zobulan's rulers who follow after him will _not_ be governed by the Elders alone. As for you, Eilam, even though your actions were severely flawed, I believe your heart truly is for the good of Zobulan, in which case I will allow you to continue to serve Zobulan. I will allow your wife, Lady Shaleah, to remain at the castle, or she may accompany you, because you will not be residing here any longer. You will serve our people for as long as you have strength by traveling throughout the realm and telling of what you had done. You will serve as an example to the people that _true_ peace can never be found by manipulating and threatening the lives of others. Never. Your life from this day forward will stand as an example of this."

Eilam, a man now shamed and dishonored yet shown a just measure of mercy, turned to take his leave, but before departing offered a final expression of regret. "I had believed that it was the Elders who possessed the greatest wisdom. But it is I who has received the impartation of wisdom on this day." He then looked once more at the child in Shadarra's arms, still struggling to fathom that this was even true. "And yet, I still hold joy on this day in seeing the fulfilling of peace beyond which even I had deemed possible." With a bowed head, the aged man turned and was escorted away from the company of the royal assembly, among whom he would no longer have a place.

"Now come," said Shadarra, addressing them all and raising her voice to be heard over the din that was still resounding just outside as the celebrations continued below. "This is a day of celebration unlike any other. This is a time to celebrate our joy."

Rose looked on as Zerin regarded his wife with a look of such open love, and her heart clenched, wondering if she and the Doctor could ever be that way with each other, no masks worn to hide their emotions or hindrances remaining between them.

"Doctor, Rose," Zerin spoke up, drawing Rose out of her wistful thoughts. "Join us in our celebrations. A feast will be held at the palace in your honor. None of this would have been possible if not for the two of you, and this is the very least we can do to show our unending gratitude."

The Doctor looked to Rose, and she could see that urge to journey on lighting a restless spark in his eyes. They rarely stayed for the aftermath or the receiving of accolades. And though their parts here may have now been successfully completed, they were far from having reached a resolution in their own lives. They needed time alone now to find out just where they would go from here, whatever the direction might be.

"Oh, well...that's very kind of you," the Doctor replied. "But I think it's finally time for Rose and I to be moving on." He glanced again at Rose and she simply nodded.

"I wish you would reconsider, but I understand," Zerin said. "I can only imagine the places you have waiting ahead of you in your journeys, and would not wish to keep you from such discoveries." He turned to Rose. "I have had the opportunity to thank the Doctor just before arriving back here, but I want to thank you as well. My thanks, however, could never be adequate for what you were willing to do. And had our lives turned out differently and you _had_ ruled beside me as this world's Queen, I still hold to the belief that you would have been more than worthy of such a position."

Rose smiled and paused before replying. "I'm just glad things have turned out for your people the way they have. And...maybe in a way your ancient legend wasn't so far off, and the part I played here was always meant to be."

She glanced at the Doctor as his anxious eyes fixed on hers, and the sudden intensity there caused her breath to catch in her throat. If she didn't find out just what he was thinking and soon, this Time Lord was going to be the end of her. She was certain of that much, at least.

Zerin took her hand in his, drawing her attention back. "It was. I truly believe that. You are a remarkable woman, Rose Tyler." A smile lit his eyes. "The foretold traveler from a distant world."

Shadarra stepped up beside her husband. She placed her hand on Rose's arm and walked with her over to the side to speak privately as Zerin turned and said a last goodbye to the Doctor.

Rose looked down at the extraordinary child cradled in Queen Shadarra's arms. She reached out and ran a finger down his plump, delicate cheek. Like his mother, his skin was fair as porcelain and he did not have the spiral Krendorian markings on his hands, but his dark hair and equally dark, inquisitive eyes were clearly that of his father. "He's beautiful," Rose said.

Shadarra smiled tenderly. "Yes, he is. He is my treasure. His name is Zephrim, after Zerin's father." She looked back up at Rose, empathy in her voice. "Rose, I just want to say that I know what it is like to love someone and think that you could never be together for so many complicated reasons. I know this well, and I have seen that same look in your own eyes. I do not profess to know the details of the life you and the Doctor lead, but if there is one thing I have learned in this, it is to never let your heart give up on the one you love. Hold on to that, and extraordinary things may happen. I have been joined with the man I was destined for, and I believe you have been as well."

Rose cast her eyes over to the Doctor as he finished bidding Zerin farewell, clearly anxious to get underway. And perhaps anxious, she thought, to put all this behind them. "You may believe that and I may believe that, but I don't know if the Doctor will ever come to see it that way," Rose confessed.

"He is a mysterious man, to be sure," Shadarra replied with a slight smile twitching her lips. "But I do not believe his feelings are such a grand mystery to decipher. Neither of our marriages were brought about in a way that any of us would have ever foreseen, but this is how it was meant to be none the less. Give him time. That is something the two of you have in abundance, is it not?"

Rose laughed softly. "I s'pose it is, yeah." She dropped her eyes and spoke quietly, knowing that a man whose existence spanned centuries could not simply change overnight. "But I don't know if all the time in the world could ever change some things." Rose looked back at Shadarra and attempted a smile. "But thank you."

Shadarra returned her smile. "Safe journey to you both, wherever your path through time may lead."

-:-:-:-

A time of celebration beyond what the people of Zobulan had ever known was just beginning as the Doctor and Rose returned to the TARDIS. It almost felt as if a lifetime had passed since coming to this place, and considering all that had transpired, their previous lives _had_ passed. The life they were now returning to held so much new, uncharted, and uncertain territory ahead. Their arrival in this place had been turbulent, and their departure was equally so; though this time the turbulence was contained within.

Rose lingered by the ramp, and the Doctor approached the console, his movements uncharacteristically subdued and his eyes focused downward as he methodically began the dematerialization sequence to ease the still-recuperating but functioning ship into the Vortex. Where they would go from here, literally and metaphorically, was still in question.

The Doctor had now seen the very first inscription of Zobulan's ancient foretelling which had led to this entire chain of events. The image was now burned into his mind, which he now realized was more accurately labeled a historical account from the future, deposited in the past, than a prophecy. And below the inscription were additional words in a language that both haunted and soothed him, the language from a world now gone but forever within him. And maybe...within someone else now, too.

This should have been more than enough to ease his troubled mind over what might happen between him and Rose from here. But nothing was ever that straightforward. He was a Time Lord, and that meant he could see things in a way that no one else could, was able to peer into dimensions that lay hidden from others. He could see Time's path. He could see what was fixed and unshakable and must always be, and he could see what was in flux and could change like the shifting of the breeze. Everything that had happened between him and Rose was in as chaotic a state of flux as the thoughts whirling in his mind.

Their future was filled with possibilities, but nothing was yet certain.

He still feared how Rose would react once he revealed what she was still unaware of about their previous night together. He knew the revelation could shake her, because it shook him, too. Fiercely. He'd yet to fully process it, much less prepare to speak of it. It was a conversation he knew had to come to a head soon, though.

And Rose was preparing to finally discuss a few significant things too, though she was as uncertain as him about how the conversation would go, considering the first time they had broached the subject of their night together it hadn't gone well for either of them. Why was it suddenly so hard to communicate when the night before they hadn't needed words at all?

Across the other side of the console, Rose stood with her back to him, her own gaze focused down as she fingered the long, elegant sleeve of her royal blue gown. She needed to change, Rose thought. Though she knew changing other things, such as changing back to the way their lives had been before all of this, would not come as easily.

They could pretend, though, she concluded, inwardly preparing for how it might be from here. They could file it away as a marriage of circumstance and one night of letting their emotions get carried away. They could pretend it was an easy thing to simply forget it all, and then slip back into that 'close but no closer' relationship they had hidden behind for so long. They had been experts at pretending before all this, after all.

The familiar grind of the Time Rotor filled the console room, yet the silence stretching on between its two occupants could not be easily drowned out. Rose finally broke the tense, weighted silence, though her back was still turned on the man she was addressing and her voice projected downward.

"So..., I s'pose we helped change a kingdom."

The Doctor's eyes snapped up at the sound of her voice and he put effort into responding, the ease in his tone belying his rigid stance. "Yes, we certainly did."

Rose forged ahead, unwilling to bury this and begin the pretending just yet. She forced herself to turn and face him, to look in his eyes as she continued. "And we got married."

His throat tightened as he swallowed forcefully, but he didn't look away. "We did."

Her voice became quiet, the effort to form words strained as she finished softly. She needed to acknowledge this just once more if from here it was never to be spoken of again. "And then we had a wedding night." She closed her eyes briefly before looking back into his. It was more than that. "We made love."

The expression on the Doctor's face was nearly inscrutable; but his eyes..._oh_, those eyes. He could never keep the emotion from them. And right now those emotions were surging like waves on the ocean. Yet his silent pause before replying stretched on to the point where she thought he might not answer this one last considerable statement.

"We did," he finally replied, the weight of those two words so heavy once spoken that they seemed to remain suspended in the air and slow the progression of Time itself.

Rose drew in a shallow, shaky breath, turning away again so he wouldn't see the tears threatening to break free in her eyes as she fought against it, digging her fingernails into the skin of her palms as she clenched her hands. "So is this where we get a 'divorce,' then? Pretend it never happened? Go back to the way things were befo–"

She wasn't able to finish before the Doctor was speaking again, his words overtaking her own. She startled at the sound of his voice directly behind her, seeming to reach her in an instant.

His response was equal parts force and desperation, two words that could either be an apology or a plea. "We _can't_."


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N** There was originally only going to be just one more chapter to come after this, but the Doctor and Rose had other plans. ;) What was supposed to be a single chapter ended up more than doubling in length, so there will be two more chapters remaining after this.

The Doctor _finally_ begins to put that gob of his to good use and makes a few overdue confessions...

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 29<span>**

_Rose drew in a shallow, shaky breath, turning away again so he wouldn't see the tears threatening to break free in her eyes as she fought against it, digging her fingernails into the skin of her palms as she clenched her hands. "So is this where we get a 'divorce,' then? Pretend it never happened? Go back to the way things were befo–"_

_She wasn't able to finish before the Doctor was speaking again, his words overtaking her own. She startled at the sound of his voice directly behind her, seeming to reach her in an instant. _

_His response was equal parts force and desperation, two words that could either be an apology or a plea. "We can't." _

Rose pivoted on the spot, turning around towards him, now face-to-face. They were so close that she had to look up to see into his eyes properly, but he remained that close, not moving to put any distance between them. He wasn't backing away.

Rose swallowed. "W-we...can't?" she parroted, sounding as perplexed as she suddenly felt from this abrupt shift of the Doctor finally being direct about this. At least she _hoped_ he was finally being direct. She drew in a galvanizing breath and rephrased the question so it was more pointed. A yes or no reply would not do. This issue _had_ to have clarity. "We can't _what..._?"

The tension radiated off the Doctor's body as he stood stiffly. A large part of him feared confessing this, but it couldn't be avoided any longer. "We can't just...easily undo this. It's not that simple." Unless, of course, they changed the very history of Zobulan, the sobering thought passed through his mind. But he couldn't think too deeply into that just yet. One thing at a time. "Nothing about this is simple. Not now. Not now that I've..." His words drifted off as his eyes followed suit, his gaze shifting downward.

Rose reached out and placed her hand on his upper arm, drawing him back to the moment. His body reacted to her touch with a tremor she could feel passing through her own skin. His eyes darted back up to fix on hers as his lungs drew in a noticeably sharp breath. "Now that you've allowed yourself to...be with me? Now that we've made love?" she questioned, her voice soft, as if she were trying to calm a cornered animal. Now that he was actually beginning to talk about this, she didn't want push too far and make him shut down, but she needed him to continue and tell her the rest – finally tell her what he was feeling.

She could see the tense muscles in his jaw working, his dark eyes holding the weight of an apology. "Yes. But it's...it's more than that. Much more. For Time Lords, Rose, the physical aspect is only part of the intimacy. There is also a connection..._here_." He lifted his right hand and swept the pads of his fingers across her temple in a ghost of a touch.

Rose involuntarily shivered. He had not touched her since the night before, and she hadn't realized how much she craved it now, hadn't realized how strongly her body would react to the contact as a tremor pulsed down her spine. "I...I think I felt you there," she said on a whisper. "Almost like a...warm touch inside my mind. And even after. Even _now_. 'S like...I can _feel_ something."

"I'm sorry," he said thickly, his eyes falling away from her as his hand did the same.

Rose reached out and captured his hand as it fell emptily through the space between them, seeking to reassure him. He was a Time Lord, and a few differences were certainly to be expected. She knew he had telepathic abilities, so if he had been able to touch her mind that didn't shock her, considering how deeply connected they had been in that moment intimacy. "Doctor, I _wanted_ this. I wanted _you_. There's nothing about last night that I regret. I told you then that I–"

He shook his head, the words unable to be avoided and finally spilling out in a rush. "You don't understand, though. It's more than you even realize. So much more. I...I formed a link, Rose. I didn't intend to. I honestly didn't. But then I...I just couldn't stop it. I didn't know the drive would be that strong...that I would feel that...that _need_. It's been _so_ long, Rose. So long since I've felt that with anyone, and I wanted to feel it again. I wanted to feel it...with you. To have that emptiness filled for even a moment. I wanted it so much. And then you told me that you...that you wanted me even after knowing the things I told you about myself, and then I just couldn't stop. It was like instinct, and it took over. I've _never_ lost control like that. If we were on Gallifrey and I had done something like that without consent, I would have been..." He stopped then. The Doctor gave a short, bitter laugh, and paused before continuing more slowly, his gaze distant. "But that's just it. There is no Gallifrey anymore, and so I did this to you because of my own selfish need." His pained eyes sought hers. "But that was never my intention, and certainly _not_ without your consent." His voice was low and solemn, his gaze penetrating as his eyes bored into hers. "I formed a bond between us, Rose."

At first she was silent, trying to understand just what this really meant.

Soon, Rose found that she wanted to smile, to not stop until it blossomed to a grin, feeling deliriously happy and telling him that she wanted to have a link or bond or whatever it was with him in any and every way. She had willingly opened her body to his and accepted him, and if he had also touched her mind to temporarily fill the void in his own she did not feel violated by that.

She was very quickly beginning to sense that it was more than a one-time incursion, though. There was an intensity in his eyes that frightened her just a little. Something told her this was as serious as the vows they had spoken.

"It's permanent, isn't it?" she slowly questioned, though it was more a statement of realization.

"Yes," he answered gravely. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorr–"

Rose held up her hand to quiet him as she closed her eyes tightly shut. There was heavy silence. The weight of that one word of confirmation began to sink in.

Rose's mind was still trying to grasp what this might really mean as she finally spoke again. "If we have some sort of...link between our minds, does that mean it's like you can just...read my thoughts. Like you're right there and can see everything, and..."

"No," he hastened to clarify, seeking to at least put that much at ease. "Humans have a certain amount of low-level telepathic abilities which made compatibility for the link possible in the first place, but it's not the same as it would be between Gallifreyans. We can't just read each other's thoughts. And even if you _were_ Gallifreyan, my people possessed mental barriers so we wouldn't be aware of each other's every thought at every moment unless it was allowed. This is more just...like an awareness that you're there, at the edge of my consciousness. I can sense you. You said you could feel something, too. That's the bond."

Rose was so uncertain as to how she even felt about this. She was actually a little torn between a momentary feeling of slight disappointment that it couldn't be more for them as it had been between the Doctor's own people, yet highly relieved that it wasn't more intense or all-revealing. _That_ would have been frightening. As it was, she was still trying to wrap her thoughts around this revelation and the word _Permanent_. Having this kind of bond was _not_ something she had bargained on. But then, neither was anything that had happened between them recently.

The more Rose truly pondered it, the more she actually began to feel at ease with the prospect of it, surprising her own self with her acceptance of this. More than just feeling a sense of acceptance, this felt right – like they were always meant to have this deeper connection. Even if her hand wasn't in his, they would still be together. Always. Even if they were separated by the universe itself, she felt in this moment like she would still hear his voice, calling her to him, where she belonged.

The Doctor's voice right now, however, sounded a little frantic as his words were spoken with speed, hoping to dispel the alarm he presumed she might feel over this revelation. "But I can block it as much as possible, Rose. To the point where you wouldn't even feel the faintness of it at all. I can't fully undo what's been done, but if I access the link within your own mind I can dampen it even further to a lesser degree than it is right now."

Rose brought her eyes back to his. She bit her lower lip as she pondered her reply. Rose knew what she wanted and fully realized the gravity of her words that came next. "I want this with you."

He stood silent, unanswering, and Rose felt her stomach drop to the floor. "But you _don't_ want this, do you? It was a mistake. Something you never meant to happen. A 'heat of the moment' kind of thing, yeah?"

She pulled her hand from his and he let it fall the rest of the way down. The Doctor carefully considered his next words. A very large part of him felt like a weight had lifted in realizing she didn't hate him for this, yet the gravity of the situation kept him grounded. "It's not that a part of me doesn't...want it, Rose. But that doesn't mean it should have happened."

"Why?" she challenged, growing increasingly weary of him fighting this when every reason she could think of was weak at best. She loved him. That was all that mattered. She didn't have naïve, idyllic notions of a fairytale romance that their lives would now become, and things might not always flow smoothly. _Cultural differences, _she thought to herself with the barest trace of ironic humor. In the end, this might even break her heart. But some things were worth getting your heart broken for. They might face challenges taking their relationship to this level, but it was infinitely better than remaining apart.

The Doctor shifted uneasily on his feet as he sought to answer that single, loaded question. "Aside from the fact that I never should have let myself be so...so...impulsive and uncontrolled, I also just don't get in these kinds of relationships. I've never crossed that line with the people I travel with because it can get complicated. So very complicated. And there are so many other things, Rose. Things I just can't ever give you that a normal human male could. Things you deserve. A secure life. A family. Just seeing Zerin and Shadarra and the child they were able to have together reminds me of the things you could never have with me. Like I said before, not every species' genetic incompatibility can be overcome. Like mine. But some day you might want more. A normal life, and..."

"You think I want normal?" she asked, incredulous but with a trace of humor. "You think that's why I _ran_ to the TARDIS when you mentioned 'it also travels in time?' Because I was looking for _normal_?"

As far as Rose was concerned, this changed nothing. She wasn't looking to settle down with kids and a mortgage when she promised him her forever. All she wanted was _him_, this daft alien who didn't realize all the things he _could_ give her, if only he would allow himself to.

The Doctor lowered his eyes, and she just barely caught a glimpse of the vulnerability within them as well as in his words. "I don't want to lose what we've had. You mean far too much to me for that."

"Doctor, look at me," she said, a gentle command. Slowly and reluctantly, he complied. His timeless eyes held a shadow of danger and darkness, but she didn't shrink back from it. She knew this of him too, and had accepted all that he was. "This isn't losing what we've had. This is gaining even more."

She processed his weighted silence. Rose felt her own questions and uncertainties inevitably creep back in as she questioned further, trying to fully understand him. "Or is this more than you ever wanted with me because...you just don't feel that strongly? I mean...in _that_ way?" she asked, still feeling like she was left groping to try and understand just how he truly felt in all this. At least a part of him had clearly wanted this with her at the time this line had first been crossed if his passionate fervor had been any indication. Did he still want it now, she was left to wonder.

The Doctor took a step back and raked an anxious hand through his hair. "I've not done any of this right, I know. But I thought you at least knew–" He stopped and sucked in a breath. When he spoke again there was a fierceness in his tone that made her inwardly and outwardly shudder. "You think I haven't told you how I feel, but I _have_, Rose. It just wasn't said with human words. I said it in a way that means so much more to me, and in the way I couldn't prevent myself from saying." He paused then, his voice nearly shaking. "But I gave more than just my feelings, Rose. I gave you myself. I gave you..." He swallowed thickly. "I gave you my name. The moment we bonded."

At that, Rose was stunned into total silence. But then she realized she _had_ known this, so very deep within. She had felt those haunting, ancient, lyrical words breathed into her soul. "The song," she whispered. "That's the song I've been hearing in my mind...ever since..."

"Yes," he answered with intensity.

Rose wasn't even sure exactly how to respond. She had been questioning how much of himself he had given, when in reality he had given so much more to her than any other living being ever had or ever could. She just hadn't understood. Rose stumbled with her words in reply. "It's just that...last night was so...I don't even know how to describe it. I've never felt _anything_ like that before. And then today I just didn't know what to make of how you were really feeling after waking up alone...and then you seemed..."

He dipped his head. "I'm sorry. I know I haven't exactly done..._any_ of this right, Rose. I was just...afraid, I suppose. Of everything. Afraid of what I'd done – how far I'd gone. And afraid of how you would feel when I told you."

"And so you ran from it," she said, not in accusation but in fact. "But Doctor, all you had to do was _talk_ to me. To open up and..."

"You see," he said back tensely. "That's what I mean about all this. _Changes_. You'll expect things from me. Expect me to give and to be more than I can, and what I give might never be enough. I can't promise that I'm always going to be some...some open book. That's just not who I am."

"I don't expect you to change who you are," she countered. "I don't expect you to bare your soul on a daily basis. I'm just asking that you let me in sometimes, to talk to me about the things that really matter, and don't bury _everything_."

His features relaxed. He didn't commit but he didn't refuse. Rose figured she would take what she could. She also decided they'd gone 'round and 'round with this long enough. They were either going to be fully together or firmly on either side of that dividing line. But she knew enough of the intensity between them to know there could never be a middle ground. Not for them.

"Alright. Just please answer me this, Doctor," Rose said with as much strength as she could muster considering this entire situation was turning her insides to jelly. "Complications and...and rules aside – because we've already complicated things and we've already completely shattered the rules. Do you want this? Do you want me?" Rose moved one step closer to him until there was almost no space left between them. "Do you want _this_ with _me_?"

Rose wasn't sure if she was hearing his own hearts pounding in his chest or if that was the blood rushing in her ears. His eyes were locked on hers, and for a moment he seemed immobilized.

When the Doctor finally spoke, his voice was thick and husky and low, and Rose nearly whimpered at the intensity of his single reply.

"Desperately."

For a moment, neither seemed able to even move.

A flash of relief pulsed through the Doctor's entire being just in acknowledging this one truth, but at the same time his own relentless feelings of doubt occupied the space that earlier had been filled with fear over her reaction. Rose seemed able to accept this monumental change between them, but could he? Could he have this kind of relationship with her and not continue to muck things up? Was he capable of getting this right, considering the substantial baggage that inevitably came into such a relationship along with him?

He didn't know, but he was rapidly becoming more and more willing to try with each second that passed. Aside from his list of uncertainties, several things had always been certain when it came to Rose. He wanted her by his side. He needed her hand in his. And even more than this, there was one emotion he held for Rose that could no longer be denied.

The Doctor moved in closer towards her then, the only direction he seemed capable of moving in spite of himself.

His hand lifted to her face, hovered for a fraction of a second, then settled there as her eyes fell shut and his quiet, somber words caressed her skin, even as his physical touch did the same.

"I can't promise that I'll get this right...," he whispered in confession. Magnetized, unable to adhere to distance at this proximity, his head dipped lower and his face was so close to hers that she felt his breath across her skin. His soft, cool lips skimmed her cheek, then found her jaw as they both shuddered, the touch igniting the fire in them both. They couldn't live without this anymore and keep their sanity. They couldn't fight it or deny it. They never could have, really, even without the bond now between them.

"I can't promise I won't muck things up between us or be the man you need me to be...," he continued, his voice a low rumble. The fingers of his left hand ghosted up her neck and settled on the other cheek as he framed her face in his hands. Rose opened her eyes and fell into his. His eyes were stripped bare, dark and boundless, filled with passion, desire and, for the first time without a shield to mask the emotion, all-consuming love. "But I'm willing to try this if you are. I'm willing to try because...because I..." A strangled sound rose in his throat as these words fought their way to final freedom. "Because, _Rassilon_ help me, I love you. I love you, Rose Tyler. And if you said no at this point, I don't think I could ever just–"

Rose decided the best way to answer and silence his mouth was with her own. This, as it turned out, was a quite effective form of communication.

She pressed forward and caught his parted lips with hers. Rose felt, rather than heard, his sob of release as his entire body shuddered and the tension unfurled, like the opening of frosty petals unwrapping to greet the warmth of the sun. First it was just a press of yearning mouths, then the slide of seeking lips, then it deepened and consumed them both as his arms enveloped her and crushed her body to his. It was ravenous and devouring and they couldn't get close enough as hands clutched and scrabbled, almost as if they sought to become one being. Or rather, confirm that they already were.

The first time they had allowed themselves to give in to the aching need and raw desire between them both, they had plunged forward, not allowing second thoughts to catch up, overtake and stop them.

This time it was going to be different.

This time it was being weighed and decided.

This time it was going to be deliberate.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N** The Doctor and Rose begin "exploring" their new relationship. This is the edited down, non-explicit version of this chapter. The Adult version of the full love scene can be found posted on _A Teaspoon and an Open Mind._

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 30 <span>**

With emotions surging, tension wound as tightly as a coiled spring about to snap, and final walls tumbling like a crashing rockslide, it was a marvel that the two had somehow managed to even make it to the nearest bedroom, which just happened to be the Doctor's. The significance wasn't lost on either of them. He was welcoming Rose into his sacred abode in the same way he was welcoming her into a part of his soul.

The trek down the corridor had involved the precarious choreography of the two trying to move as one, tangled as they were in each other. They paused for just a moment outside the room, the Doctor taking the opportunity to back Rose against the door and plunder her mouth as his splayed hands roamed down her sides and then back up to tangle in her blonde tresses, the elegant jeweled combs that had pinned her hair back from her face falling away as her hair cascaded through his fingers.

Maybe there was something to be said for _impulsive_ and _uncontrolled_, the Doctor was realizing. There was also something to be said for communication, though, and considering their recent lack thereof, this situation needed certainty that they were both on the same page with this. Their body language seemed loud and clear, but still, the Doctor put in the effort to confirm.

"Rose...," he rasped, between allowing her to take in brief gulps of needed air, "Do you...is this...? Are you sure?"

"_Yes_," she managed to reply, pulling his mouth back down to hers with urgency as her fingers sank deeply and disappeared into the dark softness of his thick hair.

They were on the same page. Definitely.

The corridor wasn't quite the destination they had in mind, though. But it might have to suffice if they stayed here much longer. Rose groped blindly behind her for the door handle to the bedroom. Her hand fumbled down the dark wooden door, found and grasped the large brass knob and turned it as the door swung open behind her. Their frenzied mouths finally parted once they tumbled forward into the room.

They stood-face-to-face, chests heaving with hard, ragged breaths as the sobering reality set in for both of them.

This was really happening again. With purposeful intent.

Rose barely noted the dark, rich furniture within the softly-lit room where they now stood, with a large desk and several table surfaces strewn with absent mechanical components the Doctor tinkered with in his spare time, nor did she take notice of the organic coral structure of the room, so much an integrated part of the TARDIS and a part of him. Her eyes were focused elsewhere; focused on the ones boring into hers like liquid fire.

In a smooth motion, the Doctor reached out for her again, and there was a sureness, a deliberateness in his every touch as his hands settled on her lower arms and roved higher. A shudder rippled through them both as his palms moved up and connected with the bare flesh afforded to him by the off-the-shoulder gown.

His eyes studied the silken, dark blue fabric of her dress as if it were one of the universe's most grand complexities, but he made short work in solving this puzzle. It wasn't long before he had chased all barriers separating her from him away. The Doctor dropped to the floor, helping Rose step out of the deep blue silk surrounding her feet.

Rose felt her legs tremble as she looked down at him through glazed eyes, vividly remembering another time they had been in such a position when he had been without sight yet had soothed her bruised flesh as he knelt before her.

The Doctor was vividly remembering, too, speaking of the memory as if their mutual thoughts had been voiced. "I wanted so much to see you like this before," he confessed, and this was the first Rose knew of just what this closed-off Time Lord had been thinking and feeling at the time. "Not just because you're...," he shook his head slightly, as if to clear it and articulate his thoughts, "because you're magnificent like this, as nothing but _Rose_, and I wanted to see all of you – but also because I wanted to see for myself that there was not a mark left on you to cause you pain."

Rose steadied herself with her hands on the tops of his shoulders as his lips moved to her left hip, his words whispering across her flesh. "But I could see you by touching you..._here..._" His lips fluttered over the skin where his sensitive fingers had once done the same. She had opened a part of herself to him then. Now she was giving him all. His head lowered and his lips descended to caress her knee. "And _here..._"

His lips left her knee and followed up her thigh, murmuring against her skin. "But I never knew. Never knew you would ever allow me _this..._"

Intimately, the Doctor caressed Rose with his lips. He wanted to take her over the edge of ecstasy, to give her all that he possibly could, recompense for the things he might never be able to give; but he wanted her to soar as he looked into her eyes and she took him with her. He stood then, and shushed her whimpered protest with butterfly kisses up her torso as he rose to his feet.

He sought out her lips, but Rose moved directly into his arms. He held her to him, her body trembling. He heard the faint sound of her cry muffled against his chest as her breath hitched, and his hearts nearly broke from the tenderness of the moment.

"Shhh, shhh...," he whispered against the crown of her head, his hands stroking up her back and lips finding her temple. "I'm here. I'm here," he answered her unspoken emotion.

Rose lifted her head from his chest and tipped her face to his as his lips descended to catch her tears. "It's just that I never thought we would ever...that we wouldn't...not again."

He smothered her words of doubt with his mouth as her hands clutched the back of his head and pulled him closer still. The kiss transformed from frantic, to reverent, then to a slow, powerful, consuming heat which stoked the flames rising between them.

The friction of his suit against her skin was an arousing contrast, but what Rose craved against her at that moment was the man still hidden beneath the wool. As their tongues dueled, Rose began making short work of the remaining barriers between them.

Her eyes took a moment to survey what was in front of her, and for once and on every level, _finally_ within her reach. His unruly hair was even more gloriously rumpled from the vigorous attention of her fingers, his eyes were nearly black with desire, lips plump and glistening from ravishing her own, mouth slightly parted as he breathed heavily, his lean chest rising and falling with each rapid breath.

She reached out for him then and ran her hands across the tops of his deceptively-strong shoulders. The crackling of energy, like tiny sparks igniting on her fingertips and traveling up her arms and down her spine, once again took her by surprise as she drew back enough for her inquisitive eyes to inspect her fingers.

"It sounds daft, but...'s like I can feel sparks of..._something..._like some kind of energy just from touching you," she breathlessly remarked.

"It's the bond," he explained in a low, gravelly voice that made her stomach do somersaults and heat spread through her veins. "It's heightened by shared arousal." Lifting a hand towards her, his single finger then drifted across her jaw and down the column of her throat in a tactile demonstration that made them both tremor.

"Might have to practice getting used to that...," Rose murmured with a glint in her eyes as her exploratory touch continued, and soon, there was nothing left separating either of them.

_Oh_, he was gorgeous, this man before her. Rose wanted to take her time getting to know every inch of him that she had previously thought might have been a one-time privilege.

She was temporarily distracted from that thought as he did some more exploring of his own, hands eagerly claiming her again. Rose soon stilled him, though. She cupped his cheek, stroking her fingers down his left sideburn and bringing his eyes to hers. He moved towards her lips like a man seeking sustenance, but she pulled back.

With her eyes conveying the words, she took his hand in hers and led him with her to the bed draped in linens of dark blue. Turning, he sank back onto the mattress and moved to pull her with him, but she held back. He looked up at her, eyes dilated and questioning.

"I want to look at you," she murmured. "Get to know more of you. 'S that okay?"

He licked his lips and nodded his head, but Rose could see the uncertainty suddenly lurking in his eyes. His inhibitions had lowered in this moment, but he was still learning to let himself be this open. Rose was also learning. Learning to trust that this was a permanent commitment – that he wasn't going to run from it once again in the light of day. She couldn't bear that again.

Except for his heavy breaths as his eyes remained fastened on her, he was silent.

Just like before.

She needed to know what he was thinking – what he was feeling. He scooted back up to the head of the bed to allow her room at the end as she knelt on the mattress by his feet. Rose was momentarily transfixed by the sight of the Doctor before her, but despite this level of openness, there remained the tenacious caution lingering behind his dark eyes, still refusing to fully loose him from its grip.

"Talk to me," Rose softly requested, her hands stroking the sides of his ankles. "Tell me what you're feeling."

He swallowed hard, fearing that his gob, for one of the few times in this regeneration, had failed him. But he attempted to comply because he knew she needed this. In light of their recent history, she needed as much openness from him as he could give.

Rose ran her hands up his shins, feeling the soft manly hairy-hairs tickle her palms. She loved his legs. Long and agile, yet strong and toned, chiseled from running.

"Good," he managed to answer her first question, lifting his head to watch the progression of her exploratory touch. "It feels good. No...more than that. When you touch me it feels..."

"Yeah?" Rose softly prompted when he trailed off to silence, looking up at him from beneath lowered lashes. "What does it feel like?"

Her hands glided higher, pausing at his knees and then moving on to his strong thighs as he sucked in a breath.

"Hot," he rasped. "Oh, Rose. You're so hot, your skin so much warmer than mine. It's like you can burn through me with just one touch. But it makes me feel...alive. So alive."

Rose smiled emotionally at the confession as he opened himself up to her in this way, just a little more. Her hands skated higher, but moved further out from where he was anticipating. She wasn't intending to tease or torment – this moment was much too precious for them both. She just wanted to learn and discover, and didn't want to rush to the end.

The Doctor let his head drop back to the bed as her inquisitive hands moved on. Just like during his time of temporary blindness, the Doctor was in a vulnerable position of relinquishing control; but again, he knew Rose was the only one for whom he would put himself in such a position for. He found that putting a voice to what he was feeling was actually liberating, surrendering, for once, rather than always fighting so strongly to hold back.

"I didn't know I could crave just a touch," he continued, his voice deep and rough. "But that's what you do to me. Ever since last night, it's consumed me whether I wanted it to or not, remembering how this felt. It leaves me wanting to feel this again and again. Every place you touch me makes my receptors come to life and my sensory neurons fire rapidly from receptor, to circuit, to perceptual level. That's what you can feel too, through the bond, when I touch you and you touch me – that spark, that electricity. But like I explained, it's so much more than ordinary sensation. It's heightened between us in moments like this to an even greater extent." His coherency level dropped a few degrees as she reached his chest, her thumbnails brushing and circling. "And...and it feels so _good_," he repeated dumbly.

His tongue pressed to the back of his upper teeth as her hands crept higher, and her eyes were momentarily riveted to his face. He _had_ to know what that particular gesture always did to her – made her want to do...well...what they were currently, miraculously, gloriously in the midst of indulging in. He then let out a sound very similar to a squeak when she discovered an unexpected erogenous zone over his collarbones, and Rose reveled in exploring the Doctor in this new way. His voice took on a decidedly deeper tone as a throaty moan rumbled in his chest when her hands moved up his neck, along the sides of his face, and to his temples, lingering to stroke what she was now discovering to be a highly sensitive area for him.

"Mmmm," he responded huskily, "That's...that's brilliant. Oh, Rose...you're..."

Rose's hands moved into his hair as her mouth plummeted to his, their kiss long and hungry and deep.

Words were lost on them both now, lost in the flood of sensations and emotions, words rendered to gasps and long, drawn-out moans. The connection of their minds deepened. That little flutter of awareness became more of a pulsing thrum, bringing a level of completion beyond the physical.

The Doctor had been struggling to handle how just a touch from Rose could now circumvent his control, but this, _this_ brought him to the end of himself and the beginning of her as their bond overtook him. He could easily lose himself in this, in _her_, he knew. But in moments like this he was beyond fearing it.

His breath caught as she confessed to him again of her love, and the lyrical string of words that came pouring from his lips – or from his mind, neither was quite sure – brought tears to her eyes as they touched and caressed and enveloped her soul.

He loved her. Desperately. With all that he was. This time she comprehended the solemn words on a level beyond language.

Rose wondered somewhere in the back of her barely-coherent mind if they would ever make love when it wouldn't feel like a desperate final act before dying. Yet unlike the night before, this time it didn't feel like an ending or an aching goodbye. This felt like a beginning. The start of something new and terrifying and breathtaking and so completely brilliant. This was the arrival at a destination they had been running towards and sometimes running from, but where they were always meant to be in the end.

And it felt very nearly like perfection. It was perfect in the same way that their hands fit together and her smile lifted his hearts and his eyes made the stars pale for her in comparison. It was not perfect because it was without flaw. It was perfect because it was them – the Doctor and Rose. That was all either had ever needed. And come what may, that was possibly so much more than just enough.

Later, both fell into each other's arms, feeling weightless. They caressed with the delicate movements of gliding noses and lips and soft breaths of air across cheeks and eyelids, not kissing but giving unhurried, nuzzling touches. Lips then opened as mouths met, and they exchanged slow, warm wet kisses, tongues gliding and caressing, lips suckling and savoring, languid and sensual and affirming.

They finally turned to their sides, face-to-face, just gazing into the eyes of the other. They were each still trying to come to terms with this finally coming to fruition, to comprehend its magnitude as they wordlessly moved closer and the Doctor wrapped Rose in his arms, where she was meant to be.

-:-:-:-

Rose lay deep in sleep as the Doctor lay deep in contemplation. This was the beginning of a journey, thrilling and terrifying and new. Yet the path they had just taken which led them here was yet to be complete. There was one last critical stop to make, and what came next could alter the very Fabric of Time – with the power to create or fully erase.

The commanding pull of Time exerted a powerful force as one crucial, fluctuating moment was beckoning. Time was summoning the Doctor to a specific point which even now stood in chaotic flux.

In contrast, he gazed down at Rose, peaceful and safe and loved as she lay in his arms and in his bed – a sight he beheld as nearly inconceivable.

For just this once and for at least this moment, the Doctor decided that Time could wait.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N **Those who have reviewed this story, showing your continued interest and encouragement and leaving me amazed by your responses are the ones who kept me going once my schedule took such a hectic turn. This completed story is dedicated to each one of you.

It seems the Ten/Rose Muse is relentless, and there will be a few additional sequels to follow this story just as soon as I have the opportunity to set aside more time for writing. I hope to see you again before too long, and in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this last chapter! :)

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 31<span>**

Lingering just outside of the muted ambient glow which softly lit the room beyond, the Doctor stood in the doorway of his bedroom – _their_ bedroom – gazing across at the sleeping form of Rose. She lay on her stomach, dark blue sheet slung low on her hips and the creamy expanse of her back rising and falling lightly with each soft breath in and out. Her fair skin almost took on a soft radiance in this gentle light, faintly reminiscent of the luminous, almighty being she had once become, not to conquer the universe but simply to save him – a man broken by the consuming guilt and loss of war. Oh, how she saved him. This ordinary and extraordinary human woman was not a mystical miracle worker who could erase the Doctor's past, but what she had done and continued to do was make him better.

As he beheld her now, his eyes caressing her skin, the Doctor's empty fingers curled into his palms, already burning to touch her again – a hunger that thrilled and still slightly terrified him. After spending what for him was a rare amount of time sleeping, he had then slipped out of bed upon waking to tend to the matter of piloting the TARDIS to their next destination. He'd then come back to the bedroom, and was stopped in his tracks by the sight of Rose still asleep in his bed.

He was pulled out of his reverie as he noted the telltale signs of the last remnants of sleep fading and Rose beginning to stir. The Doctor pushed off from the doorway and crossed over to the bed, wanting to be sure that this time when she woke, he was there. Even though he had not remained in bed with her the entire time she slept, an exhilarating yet still frightening thought told him there would be more opportunities for that still to come. For now, however, he'd had a destination to reach which had finally beckoned him away from their shared slumber. With the TARDIS' arrival at a necessary place and time, the first step was complete. This now had to be done. They needed to face this final leg of the journey. It was also time to tell Rose what he had come to learn and now suspected to be true about the origins surrounding all this.

Rose inhaled deeply and stretched her legs as she turned over onto her side, dragging the sheet up with her in unconscious covering. The man who was now a part of her in so many immense ways was there to fill her vision the moment her sleepy eyes fluttered open.

The Doctor eased down beside her on the bed, his eyes warm and a smile on his face that was soft but still a little tentative in that way of new lovers. Rose's answering smile mirrored his own, this deepening of their relationship still so new.

For a few silent moments they simply gazed at each other, the communication in their eyes alone enough. The reality was still sinking in for both of them.

A part of Rose just needed to touch him again, to confirm he was real – that _this_ was real. She reached a hand forward to cup his cheek, then gently drew her nails through the light stubble on his jaw. Maybe one morning she could watch him shave, Rose thought, the idea somehow seeming very sexy. She mentally added it to the list of new experiences to explore between them, both small and significant, and all of them exhilarating on a new level.

The Doctor closed his eyes and turned into her tender touch, the deep, relentless ache in his soul soothed just a little more each time they connected and he allowed her to reach that concealed place within him.

"Hello," she spoke to him softly.

His deep brown eyes opened and found hers. "Hello," he echoed back, voice low and intimate.

"You're still here," she noted, mostly in quiet confirmation to herself.

A look of regret flitted across his features, and he opened his mouth to give what both knew was going to be an apology for the past, but they didn't need to go back. Only forward.

Rose moved her fingers to cover his lips. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

He kissed her fingertips before she withdrew them. Almost tentatively, he brought his own fingers to her lips, tracing the supple curving flesh with the pad of his thumb. He gazed at her, his eyes seeking silent permission for what had long since been given, and her answering smile was all he needed.

His head lowered and lips connected with hers in the softest of greetings, the type of greeting from the Doctor that Rose once never thought she would have received. It began gentle, this level of intimacy they shared still so recent and tender. That quiet intensity between them just made each look and each touch all the more electric. Within moments, gentle exploration became driven need to reaffirm what they now had. Warmth and light and power surged and flowed between them, their bond amplifying every sensation. Rose sighed into his mouth as his body draped over hers and his hand slid into her hair, anchoring her to him both outwardly and inwardly. Her left hand came up to his shoulder covered only by light blue cotton as his jacket had not yet been replaced, and the other hand came to rest on the center of his chest. Her fingers slipped between the small buttons of his shirt, teasing the light smattering of hair across his firm chest and connecting with cool flesh as their tongues danced and continued to discover.

It was deep and searing and sensual, testing the limits of even the Doctor's respiratory bypass. By the time they parted for air, the oxygen was delicious to their starved lungs, nothing short of reaching total breathlessness satisfying their hunger.

"I could get used to waking up like this," Rose managed to say, the words catching in her throat as his still-active lips planted a lingering trail of warm kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and pausing to sample the sweet patch of soft skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Now that he was allowed, he knew he could never get enough of her.

With a final nip and then languorous swipe of his tongue, he slowly pulled back and looked into her eyes, his low, rumbling voice causing her stomach to flutter. "I think you might have to."

It had begun as an attempt at a playful comment, but the truth and gravity behind the words hit them both, still coming to terms with the fact that they had reached this point. Rose pulled him to her then, her arms holding him tight as he rolled back to his side, drawing her closer against him as his own strong arms came around her. His hands dipped beneath the sheet covering her and slid slowly up and down the smooth expanse of her back. It was like little sparks were crackling across her skin all along the path where he touched. Rose still marveled at this sensation between them that could be ignited with a single touch. It was like nothing she had ever experienced.

"Is it always going to be this way when we touch?" she whispered, taking no small effort just to form a sentence, rapidly drowning in his encompassing essence as she was.

He pulled back a fraction to look into her face, his dark eyes sparkling like scattered stars against a black sky. One hand slipped around to the front to paint a teasing and tantalizing path across her chest with the tips of two fingers, right at the border where creamy skin met the dark blue sheet, and knowing _exactly_ how it made her shudder. "When you're lying beside me like _this_, then yes." His husky words then gained more weighted intensity. "And because of the bond, everything is heightened, my feelings intensifying your own. But...but if it's too much and you're not comfortable with it being this way, I can..."

Rose silenced him then with another soft yet consuming kiss. The look in his eyes had been one of uncertainty, and Rose longed for the day when that would fully disappear. _In time_, she told herself, which, as had recently been pointed out, was something they had in abundance. Nothing in life was ever certain, but she could only hope that was true.

She pulled back just enough to whisper, the movement of her lips brushing across his own. "I don't ever want less for us, only more."

The answering low rumble in his throat just before his mouth returned to its rightful place against hers was both a claim of possession and a noise of surrender that tugged deep in her belly.

Her hands flattened against his chest, the cool cotton beneath her palms becoming more and more of a barrier, and they'd had more than their share of those lately. Rose broke the kiss, her fingers skating along the buttons of his shirt.

"Doctor?" she questioned breathily.

"Hmm?" he answered, tracing a finger down her throat and quite obviously fascinated by its journey lower.

"_Why_ exactly are you dressed?" she asked as her fingers moved up to play with the collar of his shirt.

"Well, technically, I'm not _fully_ dressed. I don't have my jacket on yet," he deflected. He then paused and grew more serious as he admitted, "But I had something that needed to be...attended to when I woke up. But I came right back afterwards because I...well I...wanted you to know I was here."

As incredibly endearing as that statement was, Rose also picked up on its possible roots of insecurity and questioned his motives gently. "Were you...not comfortable about us waking up together with both of us still...well...exposed?" She blushed slightly at the question, which was silly, really, considering their past two nights, but she wanted to get things like this out in the open between them if it _was_ an issue for him.

He shook his head. "No. No, that wasn't it. It's just that I..." The Doctor frowned, then turned back over onto his back as he thought about it. That actually wasn't the reason he'd had for getting dressed, but maybe there was some truth to what she said. He inhaled deeply. "Maybe...maybe partly. Even if I hadn't realized it." He blew out a long breath, contemplating all of the territory they had so recently covered. "It's just...all this...exposure lately on every level. I'm not used to it. And in some ways it still isn't entirely...comfortable for me."

Rose rolled to face him. She reached out and traced a single finger down the center of his chest, following each button until she reached his waistband and let her fingers linger and toy there. "Well, I think I need to get you more comfortable with certain types of..._exposure_," she said in a sultry tone.

He laughed then, low and rich. He captured her hand and placed a kiss to her palm, the simple openness of the gesture not lost on her.

Rose's voice grew quiet and more serious. "But I told you I'm not gonna try to make you always open up and talk about things you don't want to. Things you might not want to talk about and expose because...they hurt. But you know you can always talk to me about anything, yeah?"

His eyes momentarily had her spellbound, the depths within containing a blending of awe and love and gratitude and desire and...something else – something he was still holding back. He reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, the motion achingly tender as he simply replied, "Thank you."

Rose bit her lip, holding back a question. She wanted to ask him what was preying on his mind – something she could see he wasn't voicing. But she waited, hoping he would simply tell her as she stayed true to her word of not pressuring him.

She smoothed a finger across the frown lines draw together on his forehead. "Always contemplating the concerns of the universe...," she murmured, half smiling and half fighting the lump in her throat for all he carried.

He took her hand in his and cradled it to his chest. "Someone has to," he admitted with a small upward curve of his lips. He paused. It was time to tell her this. He breathed in deeply. "But Rose, there's...something else I've been contemplating. One of the reasons I was already up and dressed was because...because I've taken us somewhere. Somewhere I think we might need to be."

Rose tried not to let the disappointment show too prominently on her face. Now that they had _finally_ reached this point, she was hoping to stay in bed together for at least a little while, if she were being honest. This was, after all, what could be considered their honeymoon period. She never wanted to change their life of mad adventure and endless running, but right now she wasn't quite ready to dash madly off on the next adventure. Not just yet. But if this was what he wanted then she wasn't going to form objections. They'd had quite enough of confrontation and conflict lately to last them a good long while.

"So, where are we then?" she asked, mustering a smile as she sat up, holding the sheet to her chest.

The Doctor pushed himself off the bed and stood. He looked down at her, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why don't I...show you first. Then I'll explain."

Rose nodded, mentally preparing for a bit of running in her near future if he didn't even want to tell her where they were. Those were the trips that _always_ inevitably involved running for their lives. The wild thought briefly struck her that maybe he'd taken them to visit her mum. Rose quickly reasoned _that_ possibility away. They were going to have to tell Jackie at some point about all this, but the Doctor had only just faced up to it himself. She would have to carefully ease him into the idea of soon facing her mum, otherwise he'd no doubt be off like a shot again.

Mentally putting that next hurtle temporarily aside, Rose glanced down at her sheet-clad self. Wherever he had taken them, if she was going to be running she didn't plan to do it starkers. At least not outside of the TARDIS...

"Okay. I'll be ready in a few minutes. Just um...let me get dressed."

"Oh! That reminds me..." The Doctor turned and went over to the large wooden wardrobe on the wall opposite the bed. "I saw this when I went to dress." He opened the doors, revealing Rose's clothes hanging inside next to his. "Apparently the TARDIS approves of our new...arrangement."

Rose laughed softly in amazement, and also falling rather in love with the sight of their paired clothing. "Apparently she does at that."

He nodded his head, reaching for his pinstriped jacket and slipping it on as he turned back towards the bed, eyes fixing and remaining on her.

Rose fought the blush that crept to her cheeks. He apparently fully intended to watch as his glittering eyes gazed at her in rapt attention, as if waiting for his favorite program to come on telly. She would have to have a word with him about his choice of programs if _this_ was the sort of thing he watched, though. Rose felt a flash of self-consciousness in climbing out of bed stark-naked while he was fully dressed and fully watching, but she had just said that he needed to become more comfortable with exposure, so she figured the same held true for her.

Rose dropped the sheet from her chest, noting how the Doctor's eyes were glued to its path of descent. She then tossed it aside completely and stood. Exposed as she may have been, Rose felt a sense of power in the way she held the Doctor in transfixed attention, his eyes darkening further as they made no attempt to hide their roaming of her body from head to toe.

Feigning nonchalance at the show she was giving him, Rose sashayed to the wardrobe and quickly picked out a denim skirt and light blue jumper. Feeling his eyes still very much on her in the most distracting of ways, Rose tried to focus on finding where the TARDIS had stashed her undergarments.

She then heard the squeak of his trainers and seconds later felt the friction of his suit against her bare skin as he brushed up behind her, arms reaching out on either side around her and into the wardrobe. He pushed some clothes aside and revealed shelving behind them where her intimate items were neatly folded.

"I believe these are what you're looking for," he said in a deliciously-low voice, his breath against the back of her neck and body pressed to hers making her shiver.

"S-so it is," she agreed, unable to hide the breathless quality in her tone.

He started to step back from the _very_ close invasion of her personal space, and in a rush of boldness Rose reached for his arms before they slipped away and brought them back around to the front of her body, settling his hands against her ribcage as she leaned back into him. Both felt the crackling of the electric sensation shared between them as they simultaneously inhaled sharply.

"Doctor...," she murmured, her head turning and lips finding the line of his jaw, "do we _really_ have to be somewhere else right _now..._?"

His hands inched higher, thumbs skimming right below where they both wanted him to move a fraction higher and spend a little more time exploring. But the Doctor knew if he did it would be his downfall to first taking care of what still needed to be addressed. "I think it's best if what needs to be done is done as soon as possible," he said quietly, his enigmatic reply not hiding the reluctance in his tone of breaking this off so soon.

Rose fought a sigh of protest, noting the gravity of his words. She nodded her head in agreement.

He stepped back to give her room to dress, mentally calculating the exact time it would take to reverse the process for future reference. He then reached his hand out towards her, which she readily took.

"Come with me," he said in that solemn way of his, leading her out of the room, down the corridor and through the console room as they approached the outer doors.

The Doctor opened the doors to the TARDIS, revealing beyond them a meadow of deep green grass, the surrounding hills painted in shades of gold as the rising dawn sun sat lazy and low in the turquoise sky.

"Zobulan," she murmured, taking in the familiar landscape with a puzzled expression. "But...why?"

The Doctor drew a breath. "This is where it began, apparently – the ancient legend. This is the Northern region, and up there," he pointed to the top of a vacant hill to their right, "is where King Zerin's private estate will one day be. Well, I say 'one day.' More like half a dozen centuries from now. And this," he pointed to the opening of a cave that was just to their left, "is where the first writings that foretold the prophecy appeared. Zerin showed me when I came back for them."

Rose slowly shook her head. "I don't understand. Why are we here?"

He paused as he cast a glance toward the cave. "I'll know for sure once we've gone inside. C'mon. Let's take a look."

At his urging Rose followed, hand still in his. They approached the mouth of the cave and ducked inside. The air within was damp and cool as they entered the dark cavern, the blue glow of the sonic lighting their way through several twists and turns that took them deeper in. They reached a widening of the cavern, then approached the rock wall to the left side where the Doctor had previously stood both one day in the past and six hundred years in the future. They both came to a stop.

The Doctor turned to Rose, her eyes still holding a question. "I had scanned the original inscription when Zerin showed it to me, and I pinpointed its origins back to this exact time." He then lifted the light of the sonic and illuminated the wall.

Nothing but smooth stone.

"There's nothing here," Rose noted, puzzled.

He looked at her, the intensity in his eyes visible even in the near-darkness. "Because I haven't written it yet."

"Because you..._what_?"

He began slowly. "When I scanned the writing Zerin showed me six hundred years from now, the sonic screwdriver indicated that it had been carved with…a sonic device. _My_ sonic device. And to be honest, when I first saw it, I was still so afraid of...everything between us that it was hard for me to imagine actually choosing to initiate all that had happened and be the one to bring all this about."

Rose took several moments to try and make sense of what he seemed to be suggesting. "Are you saying that...that _you_ began Zobulan's legend that led to all this?"

"Well...I _did_ once say it was a self-fulfilling prophecy," he replied, trying for ironic humor but his eyes still carrying a solemn weight.

Rose stuttered as she attempted to form a reply. "S-so you...you're sayin' that what you do here in Zobulan's past effects Zobulan's future, but it's the events of our past that led you to do this in our future, causing everything to play out as it did, but we wouldn't have known this then until now?"

He beamed at her proudly. "Spoken like a Time Lord's wife."

They both stilled, the weight and reality of those words still surreal and so hard to believe.

Rose swallowed. "Well...thanks, but...I don't understand a word of what I just said," she laughed slightly in bemusement.

"A Temporal Causality Loop," he explained. "In other words, event A causes event B, but event B is what caused event A. This is where an event both originates and completes. It's not changing your future before it happens, per se, or altering established events; it's assuring that what took place _will_ take place, after the fact. Past events led up to this, but without _this_, those past events wouldn't have existed. That's a causality loop."

It wasn't the general phenomenon itself that had Rose gobsmacked. It was the fact that apparently _they_ had been the ones behind it all along. _That_ was proving hard to fathom.

"And so...what we do here makes everything that just happened..._happen..._?"

He nodded. "Yes."

She realized something else very significant. "Or..._not_ happen."

"Yes," He confirmed, weighing her response.

"So...so if Zobulan's legend doesn't begin here, then none of what we just came through would have happened the way it did?"

"Well, some of it would have still taken place. The TARDIS still would have crashed here, but even if we had been taken in by the King and shown hospitality, it's doubtful everything else would have taken place as it did. Without their belief in the legend, they wouldn't have thought of you as their potential fabled Queen, setting off all the other chain of events. And without being so close to their circumstances, I wouldn't have known of Zerin and Shadarra's situation or tried to change it."

Rose's eyes drifted to the bare stone, then back to him. "And...what happened for us wouldn't have happened either. We wouldn't be bonded now, or..."

"No," he answered solemnly. "What happens here impacts the progression of events stemming from this."

Rose took a moment to ponder this long and hard. In all that had recently happened beginning the moment Rose had been told she must marry King Zerin, there had been an element of forethought, and in some ways of choice, removed. She and the Doctor had essentially been reacting to their circumstances moment by moment, then dealing with the aftermath. This was now giving them that element of pre-choice in all of this. This was their final way out. Everything between them could go back to the way it had been and these past events would be as if they never occurred. This would also significantly affect the future of Zobulan. But who's to say they wouldn't have achieved peace on their own through another means?

Knowing what Rose now knew of the power of their love, if her relationship with the Doctor had not grown in this way while in this place, surely what they now had was inevitable none the less. It might still come. In another time and another place, but surely it would still come into being. This ultimately came down to them now having the choice to take this path here and now, with its good and with its bad, or turn away.

"If we _don't_ do this," Rose questioned slowly, "would time really change? Would all that had just happened actually change?"

"If we get back in the TARDIS without doing anything here," he answered somberly, "then the causality loop will be broken. Time will warp and reform, and our recent past will not be the same as what we know now."

The Doctor moved a step closer to her, his voice carrying a note of awe as he gazed in wonder around the empty cavern, seeming to see things surrounding them that she could not. "This, right here, right now, is a powerful moment of Time. This very place is an active yet fragile piece of Time's fabric. Timelines are converging and diverging from this one point. This moment is in flux, and the possibilities are endless." He stood to face her and took both her hands, bending to touch his forehead to hers. "Can you feel it?" he whispered.

Rose closed her eyes and was suddenly awash in what he was feeling and even seeing. She could sense it and see it and almost reach out and touch it. The pure energy of Time itself was crackling around them and inside of them. Timelines, like dazzling beams of light, were whizzing past like fiery meteors through the night sky, and the raw potential of the moment was fragile, yet soon to be solidified into a single, unchangeable path.

Rose opened her eyes with a gasp, feeling dizzy from the onslaught of it all. This is what _he_ felt. This was how the eyes of a Time Lord beheld the universe. She was again in awe of this ancient being who in some ways she still knew so relatively little about. The thought of learning so much more both thrilled and terrified her, but Rose knew exactly what she wanted. She knew without question which path she wanted their timelines to take.

"You know what _I_ want," Rose told him steadily, her eyes refusing to break contact with his. "I've said it in every way that I can." There was only one question left. "But you could change it all right now if you wanted. So what do _you_ want, Doctor?"

When the Doctor had first seen the inscription and realized the implications of its origins, he questioned how he could have made the choice to ensure that what had taken place between him and Rose would still take place just as it had, because at the time he still feared what had formed between them. A part of him was still frightened of it and maybe a part of him always would be. But he also knew he would not change this now, given the chance. Not for anything in the universe.

His timeless eyes locked on hers. His hands lifted to her face, fingertips lightly brushing down her temples as they both shivered, and his words were spoken with fierce conviction. "What I want is something I don't deserve, but what you've given me even still. What I want is what I have, right here and right now, looking me in the eyes and stopping me from turning away."

Her lower lip quivered and a tear tracked down her face even as a radiant smile managed to form. "Then I think you have some inscribing to do."

Nodding, feeling both the weight of extreme responsibility and the weightlessness of joy, the Doctor lifted the sonic screwdriver and began the inscription which would be carried forth from here and become a part of not only this planet's, but his and Rose's destiny. He had already seen these words and they had been singed into his mind. Now it was just a matter of both re-creating them and creating them for the first time.

The words told of a wise woman, a traveler from a world beyond who would one day marry a favored King. Stemming out from this, such a union would bring forth a joint lineage of harmony and peace for all people and races of Zobulan. Behind the vague words were really two men, two women and two marriages, but this general account and these indistinct clues would more than suffice, he already knew. What _was_ worded in precise terms was the foretelling of sure hope, a beacon and an entreaty to search out its fulfillment. There was a feeling of reverence as each word was inscribed and foretold what would someday be, because each word spoke the truth of the future that would one day come for this world.

The Doctor finished the work, blowing slowly over the stone to clear the dust as his fingers traced the engraved words.

Rose placed her own fingers over his as she spoke softly.

"You said that you were still feeling afraid and still had doubts about everything that had happened between us when you saw this. I wish..." He turned his eyes to her as she hesitated. "I wish there was something more it could say. Just...just for you. Just to let you know for sure when you first saw this that it really was us behind it, and that somehow everything was gonna be okay for you an' me." She smiled wistfully and shook her head. "That would be changing things though, wouldn't it? It has to be just as it was when you saw it."

The Doctor had wondered about this one last thing, but the timeline was still fragile and he couldn't force it. This had to play out on its own however it was meant to be. He took her hand in his, caressing her palm with his thumb.

"What would you have it say if you could?" he asked with a slow-budding smile.

Rose gazed at the wall and bit her lower lip as she thought about it. "Just...something to let you know for sure it was really talking about us, and not just a vague reference to anyone else. Maybe..." She grinned and shook her head, laughing softly at the thought which came to mind.

His smile grew as he leaned in closer. "Would you have it say...," he then whispered four words in her ear, the words he had already seen transcribed in Gallifreyan script.

Her eyes went wide. "I...I thought you said you couldn't just read my thoughts!"

"But I _can_ read your words," he answered, grin still firmly in place. "And I had wondered about how those particular ones had gotten there."

"Then...I really did?"

He nodded.

Rose ducked her eyes, not sure how he would feel about this. But then, apparently he already knew. "And...do you know how I want to do it? In...in your own language?"

He nodded again, this time fighting back the moisture creeping to his eyes from the fact that Rose would think to do this just for him.

"But can I?" she asked hesitantly. "I...I don't even know how. Is there a way you could show me?"

"Come here," the Doctor said softly.

Rose stepped closer and he moved around behind her, his right arm sliding down hers to take her hand in his, placing the sonic screwdriver within it. He then lifted his left hand and brought it to her temple, intensifying the link between them as they both softly gasped.

"_Follow what you're seeing from me," _he whispered into her mind as whorls and spirals played out behind her eyes.

His hand guided hers as Rose began engraving the Gallifreyan lettering into the stone. The Doctor stood mesmerized as his own language, all but silenced, came to life from Rose's hand. Never had he felt more complete than in this moment. The healing Rose had begun to bring into his life the day she took his hand now reached a level he never would have thought possible. In this moment he realized just how much Rose completed the missing pieces within him and made him whole.

The realization and the intensity of feelings within were nearly overwhelming him on every level. She finished the final circular word and lowered their joined hands, but he kept his wrapped around hers and lifted it to his lips, brushing across her skin in an offering of thanks and declaration of love. His left arm snaked around her waist as his lips then dropped a kiss to the top of her head, then moved lower, seeking and finding the soft flesh at the side of her neck as the electric touch rippled through them both.

"I'm never going to get enough of you, am I?" he whispered low against her skin, his voice sounding very much like wonder and fear and bliss, all fused into one and making her shiver in anticipation of where this newest thrilling journey would lead them.

Rose turned in his arms, his hands coming to rest on her hips as her arms draped around his neck, still in awe that they could hold each other this close – so much closer than in physical terms alone.

"I think I could better answer that question in the TARDIS," she replied across his lips, pulling back just before he could capture them with his own. Her eyes danced in response to the frustrated noise from his throat at her retreat and seeing the desire-glazed look in his eyes. Oh, she could _very_ much get used to that look.

She slid her hands down to both of his and gave a tug. "C'mon. Let's go home."

The Doctor and Rose returned to the TARDIS hand-in-hand, their forward steps, just like their fusing timelines, moving in the same direction.

Two travelers of the cosmos boarded the ship that had started them on this journey and would take them on to the next as they faded into Time. Behind them, the words of a legend one day to be fulfilled stood as a silent testimony of what had been and what would be.

Below the fated words, the spiraling language of Time spoke just four more. To those who had written them, the words lit their eyes with a smile of irony, yet this was much more than a self-proclaimed title known only between the two. These words unveiled the very truth of their identity, known throughout the expanse of Time and vastness of space.

_**The Stuff of Legends**_


End file.
